Skip to main content

NEW BLOOD TEST THAT COULD DIAGNOSE FIVE DIFFERENT CANCERS



A new blood test that detects five different forms of cancer is one step closer to becoming a reality and could save millions of lives around the world.
The team of scientists developing the new diagnostic tool have branded their discovery of a 'striking DNA signature' in five forms of the disease, an 'important step'.
The signature occurs in colon, lung, breast, stomach and endometrial cancers, researchers at the National Human Genome Research Institute found.
When tumors develop in any of these areas, one specific gene - known as' ZNF154 '- changes its chemical signature.
It raises hopes that a simple blood test to diagnose these, and other forms of the disease, may become a reality in the near future.
Researchers found when a person was suffering cancer, higher amounts of methylation occurred - a process where a gene is switched 'off'.
They describe methylation as controlling the expression of genes 'like a dimmer on a light switch'.
Higher levels of methylation, like that found in some tumors, decreases a gene's activity.
n 2013, Dr Elnitski and her team discovered a methylation signature around the ZNF154 gene in 15 types of tumor, in 13 different organs - and deemed it a possible universal cancer biomarker.
Biomarkers are biological molecules that indicate the presence of disease.
Dr Elnitski's group identified the methylation signature using DNA taken from solid tumors.
 In this new study, the researchers developed a series of steps that uncovered telltale methylation marks in colon, lung, breast, stomach and womb cancers.
They showed that all the tumor types and sub types consistently produced the same methylation mark around the ZNF154 gene.
Scientific director at the NHGRI, Dr Dan Kastner said: 'Finding the methylation signature was an incredibly arduous and valuable process.
'These findings could be an important step in developing a test to identify early cancers through a blood test.' 
Current   blood  tests  for  cancer  are    specific  to  Tumor   type.
  doctors have to first find the tumor, remove a sample of it and determine its genome sequence. 
Once the tumor-specific mutations are known, they can be tracked for appearance in the blood.
Once the tumor-specific mutations are known, they can be tracked for appearance in the blood.
The new blood test offers much more potential.
No prior knowledge of cancer is required - meaning the blood test could be the first test used to diagnose the disease.
It would be less invasive and instrusive than other screening methods like colonoscopies, and mammograms and it could be used to follow individuals at high risk for cancer.

In addition it could be used to monitor the activity of a tumor during treatment.
Once the blood test is developed, studies will be needed to ensure it does not indicate the presence of cancer when the disease is not there, or indeed miss it when it is present.
 Dr Elnitski said: 'We have laid the groundwork for developing a diagnostic test, which offers the hope of catching cancer earlier and dramatically improving the survival rate of people with many types of cancer.'











Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

WEB SEARCH TERMS

  When you decide to keep a Web page to look at later, you're doing something called "bookmarking". Bookmarks are simply links to sites that you visit frequently or want to keep handy for reference. There are a couple ways you can save Web pages for later: In your browser.  All major Web browsers provide you with the ability to make and store your favorite links within the browser. These links are accessible several different ways, depending on what browser you might be using: a sidebar, a toolbar, or a drop-down menu. In a social bookmarking site.  If you want to access your collection from anywhere and share them with others, then a social marking site - a site that lets you store your favourites links - might be for you. launch I n the context of the Web, the term launch usually means two different things. Permission to Launch - Website First, some Web sites use the word "launch" as a substitute for the more commonly known "enter" command. For ...
Post a Comment
Read more

THE BEATLES -ENGLISH ROCK BAND

The Beatles were an English rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The group, whose best-known lineup comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr, are regarded as the most influential band of all time.   The Beatles    were  from    Liverpool, United Kingdom.   In September of 1962 The Beatles recorded their first hit Love Me Do, which charted in UK, and reached the top of the US singles chart. London became their new home since 1963. ... Their October 1963 performance at the London Palladium made them famous in Great Britain and initiated the Beatlemania in the UK.   The most popular Beatle.   Paul McCartney ranked highest, at 35 percent; following by John Lennon (29%), Ringo Starr (11%), and George Harrison (8%). However, there is a gender gap: men favored John, while women preferred Paul.   The Beatles' first record "Love Me Do" was released on October 5, 1962. It was a moderat...
1 comment
Read more

GORILLAS

Gorillas are ground-dwelling, predominantly herbivorous apes that inhabit the forests of central Sub-Saharan Africa. The genus Gorilla is divided into two species: the eastern gorillas and the western gorillas, and either four or five subspecies. They are the largest living primates. Gorillas' natural habitats cover tropical or subtropical forests in Sub-Saharan Africa. Although their range covers a small percentage of Sub-Saharan Africa, gorillas cover a wide range of elevations. The mountain gorilla inhabits the Albertine Rift montane cloud forests of the Virunga Volcanoes, ranging in altitude from 2,200 to 4,300 metres (7,200 to 14,100 ft). Lowland gorillas live in dense forests and lowland swamps and marshes as low as sea level, with western lowland gorillas living in Central West African countries and eastern lowland gorillas living in the Democratic Republic of the Congo near its border with Rwanda. The closest relatives of gorillas are the...
Post a Comment
Read more