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Benjamin Werner

@benjaminwerner.bsky.social
795 followers 410 following 336 posts

Es irrt der Mensch, solang er strebt. Group Leader at Barts Cancer Institute in London. Working on somatic evolution, ecDNA, clonal haematopoiesis… www.bartscancer.london/staff/dr-ben… Contact: b.werner@qmul.ac.uk

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Benjamin Werner @benjaminwerner.bsky.social · 08/09/2025
This variant is typically intermixed with many wildtype EGFR ecDNAs that hitchhike on strongly positively selected variants and therefore maintaining a mixed state if ecDNA wildtype and variants in the tumour population
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Benjamin Werner @benjaminwerner.bsky.social · 08/09/2025
How to explain these observations? Computational modelling suggests the following scenario: First ecDNA forms and accumulates in pre-cancerous cells. Later one ecDNA copy acquires the variant and possibly starts the clonal expansion
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Benjamin Werner @benjaminwerner.bsky.social · 08/09/2025
We then observed a few other EGFR variants that reach high but subclonal ecDNA frequencies.
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Benjamin Werner @benjaminwerner.bsky.social · 08/09/2025
EGFR ecDNA showed strongest positive selection. But interestingly we found a few EGFR variants exclusively amplified on ecDNA (EGFRvIII and others) that seem under strong positive selection but were always ecDNA subclonal
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Benjamin Werner @benjaminwerner.bsky.social · 08/09/2025
Interestingly, we found differences depending on which oncogene is amplified on ecDNA.
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Benjamin Werner @benjaminwerner.bsky.social · 08/09/2025
Combining simulations and data in a Bayesian inference framework then allows to estimate the evolutionary parameters (selection, spatial constraints and initial ecDNA copy number) that describe the data best
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Benjamin Werner @benjaminwerner.bsky.social · 08/09/2025
We then developed a spatial framework to simulate ecDNA evolution in silico
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Benjamin Werner @benjaminwerner.bsky.social · 08/09/2025
More importantly, we could measure spatially resolved ecDNA copy number distributions in 2 to 3 samples per GBM.
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Benjamin Werner @benjaminwerner.bsky.social · 08/09/2025
First as we anticipated, we found the typical diverse ecDNA landscape in GBMs
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Benjamin Werner @benjaminwerner.bsky.social · 08/09/2025
We therefore combined whole-genome sequencing, DNA FISH analysis and RNA scope.
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Benjamin Werner @benjaminwerner.bsky.social · 08/09/2025
We had the opportunity to analyse multi-region samples of Glioblastomas taken from the core, margin and infiltrating margin.
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Benjamin Werner @benjaminwerner.bsky.social · 22/08/2025
Ruler in my daughters primary school. To make sure you never learn conversion of cm and inches 😂
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Benjamin Werner @benjaminwerner.bsky.social · 24/04/2025
Huge congratulations @francescoterenzi.bsky.social for a great thesis and viva today. Special thanks to @robjohnnoble.bsky.social and @kevinrouault.bsky.social being the examiners and a great discussion today!
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Benjamin Werner @benjaminwerner.bsky.social · 20/03/2025
Congratulations to a successful viva Dr. @alexsteinresearch.bsky.social Many thanks to @cancerevo.org and @zaccasimo.bsky.social to be examiners!
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Benjamin Werner @benjaminwerner.bsky.social · 11/03/2025
We added an analysis that allows to estimate innate variant fitness in the presence of clonal competition from single variant trajectories.
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Benjamin Werner @benjaminwerner.bsky.social · 05/03/2025
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Benjamin Werner @benjaminwerner.bsky.social · 05/03/2025
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Benjamin Werner @benjaminwerner.bsky.social · 05/03/2025
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Benjamin Werner @benjaminwerner.bsky.social · 05/03/2025
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Benjamin Werner @benjaminwerner.bsky.social · 05/03/2025
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Benjamin Werner @benjaminwerner.bsky.social · 05/03/2025
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Benjamin Werner @benjaminwerner.bsky.social · 05/03/2025
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Benjamin Werner @benjaminwerner.bsky.social · 19/11/2024
The complication for modular organised clonal organisms are multiple layers of possible fixation of mutations during organismal or population growth
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Benjamin Werner @benjaminwerner.bsky.social · 19/11/2024
And then we have Jessie Renton, who left us earlier this year and worked as a postdoctoral fellow in a joined project with @thorstenreusch.bsky.social and @ibaums.bsky.social on evolutionary dynamics of clonal species in the natural habitats, e.g. seagrasses and corals
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Benjamin Werner @benjaminwerner.bsky.social · 19/11/2024
Next we have Elisa Scanu, that is just finishing her PhD with Weini Huang and joined us at the beginning of October to work on ecDNA evolution.
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Benjamin Werner @benjaminwerner.bsky.social · 19/11/2024
Among many things, Alex gives a very nice formula for the size distribution of the largest resistant clone in a growing tumour
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Benjamin Werner @benjaminwerner.bsky.social · 19/11/2024
Next we have @alexsteinresearch.bsky.social , also currently finishing his PhD, working amongst other things on the population dynamics theory of treatment induced heterogeinity
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Benjamin Werner @benjaminwerner.bsky.social · 19/11/2024
Somewhat surprisingly, we found that clonal competition can quantitatively explain many of the complex observations of CH with age
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Benjamin Werner @benjaminwerner.bsky.social · 19/11/2024
The last year Nate was working very closely with Francesco Terenzi, currently finishing his PhD
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Benjamin Werner @benjaminwerner.bsky.social · 19/11/2024
Next is Nathaniel MonPere, Postdoctoral fellow mainly interested in the dynamics of human haematopoiesis with age.
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Benjamin Werner @benjaminwerner.bsky.social · 19/11/2024
We find many interesting things. One is the possible resolution of an old puzzle in GBM. We know that EGFR vIII is a GBM specific very strong driver mutation, yet almost always seems to be sub clonal. vIII is emerges on ecDNA post formation driving aggressive growth
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Benjamin Werner @benjaminwerner.bsky.social · 19/11/2024
First is Magnus Haughey, Post doctoral fellow working on spatial temporal evolution of extra-chromosomal DNAs in human cancers
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Benjamin Werner @benjaminwerner.bsky.social · 22/10/2023
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Benjamin Werner @benjaminwerner.bsky.social · 13/10/2023
I hope this time estimate is conservative
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