CSB #7: Genetic Analysis of Mutations in Cancer

 Genetic Analysis of Mutations in Cancer

One of the main struggles in cancer therapy is the detection of cancer in a patient, so understanding the genetic differences between a cancer patient and a non-cancer patient is crucial for drug development in cancer treatment. A new technology has emerged from the Bioinformatics in Virginia Tech University where researchers there have developed a new technology to determine genetic differences between cancer and non-cancer patients. They have designed a new array that can measure two million microsatillites, which are essentially repetitive DNA sequences. These microsatellites can find differences between the two different patients, thus determining what mutations are present in cancer patients. Their technology has already been put into use as researches have developed a biomarker for breast cancer, which can determine the risk of cancer in the future for early detection. 

I chose this article because it seemed interesting to me because currently, cancer research is mainly focused on curing it while the patient is infected with the disease, but this article shows a new approach to try to detect the cancer and destroy it in its early stage. The fact that researchers have already implemented this technology amazes me as it shows a promising future in the area of biomarkers where it could eventually lead to a vaccine that can detect a mutated genome in the human body. One major question that I wondered about is how will this technology work in the human body, because it has only worked as a proof of concept basis. I think that this advancement will significantly advance cancer research and may lead to many new opportunities in the future. 

Citations:

 "New Technology Pinpoints Genetic Differences Between Cancer and
     Non-Cancer Patients." Science Daily. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 May 2011.
     <http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/02/110222122103.htm>.

Picture:Brownd, Deric. "Poetry in your Genome?" Deric Brownd's Blog. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 

     May 2011. <http://mindblog.dericbownds.net/2008/02/ 
     poetry-in-your-genome.html>.