Family tree analyzes of human blood cells are now much easier than they used to be - thanks to a method developed by the Berlin doctor and biochemist Leif Ludwig.
It is up to a thousand times cheaper, faster and more reliable than previous methods.
For this, the 40-year-old scientist will be honored with the Paul Ehrlich and Ludwig Darmstaedter Young Talent Award 2023, as the Paul Ehrlich Foundation announced on Tuesday.
The award is endowed with 60,000 euros and will be presented on March 14th together with the Paul Ehrlich main prize in the Paulskirche.
Sasha Zoske
Sheet maker in the Rhein-Main-Zeitung.
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White and red blood cells and platelets are made from stem cells in the bone marrow.
In order to better understand blood formation and diseases associated with it, it is important to know the precursors of the affected cells.
The lines of descent can be traced based on changes in the genome.
Artificial genetic markers have been used for this purpose in laboratory experiments, but this method cannot be used in humans.
Instead, doctors rely on the observation of naturally occurring mutations.
However, taking a look at the entire human genome is very time-consuming.
Analysis of DNA from mitochondria
Leif Ludwig, who is currently working as a junior research group leader at the Charité and the Max Delbrück Center, has therefore chosen a different approach: he examines the DNA of the mitochondria, the cellular "power plants".
They also contain mutations that can be used to reconstruct the lineage of blood cells.
Ludwig combines this approach with the latest single-cell sequencing techniques, which make it possible to record the current state of health of a cell.
According to the Ehrlich Foundation, he and his team have now refined their method so that they can analyze tens of thousands of cells from patients' bone marrow and blood samples.
Such analyzes could now also be carried out in everyday clinical practice and help to improve the treatment of leukemia, for example.