The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has launched a $140 million effort aimed at investigating genetic variations in normal human cells.
The new program, called the Common Fund's Somatic Mosaicism Across Human Tissues Network (SMaHT), intends to revolutionize our understanding of the extent of genetic diversity present in the cells and tissues that make up our body, an NIH press release said.
“As somatic mosaicism can occur in any cell type in our bodies, it could have wide-reaching impacts on our health. The breadth of mosaicism’s reach makes it unwieldy for just one NIH Institute or Center to address alone,” Dr. Robert Eisinger, the NIH's Division of Program Coordination, Planning, and Strategic Initiatives Director, said in the release. "This makes the study of somatic mosaicism a good fit for an NIH Common Fund program, since it was established to catalyze research within the broad mission of NIH.”
Somatic mosaicism is a genetic variation that results from somatic (non-reproductive) cells becoming genetically distinct from one another, the release noted.
Some of our cells collect DNA alterations over time, resulting in somatic genetic diversity. Somatic mosaicism can change how cells work and may have an impact on human development, illness, aging, and other physiological parameters over the course of a person's lifetime, the press release stated. The SMaHT Network aims to identify and classify the range of somatic mosaicism in human tissues, with grants totaling $140 million over five years, which are subject to funding.
It's unknown how much somatic mosaicism affects human health and disease, despite the fact that it can affect all tissues, is a significant risk factor for cancer, and can be brought on by both external exposures and a person's own internal biological processes. According to the release, the SMaHT Network will lay the groundwork for future research on the role that somatic genetic variation plays in human development and aging, as well as a wide range of diseases and disorders, including undiagnosed diseases and disorders of the brain, muscle, skin, and immune system, by cataloging somatic mosaicism in healthy human tissues.
"Additionally, given the contribution of somatic cell mutations to cancer, this effort has the potential to support President Biden’s goal of ending cancer as we know it as part of the Cancer Moonshot," the news release said.
