Since the completion of the $3 billion Human Genome Project in 2003, genomic sequencing and analysis techniques have improved beyond all recognition. These advances have allowed companies to significantly reduce the cost of the technology. It is now possible to sequence a genome for less than $1,000.
Genomic techniques have improved so much that a simple blood test, a “liquid biopsy,” can detect a patient’s cancer and establish the cancer’s genetic makeup. Liquid biopsies can also help clinicians choose the most appropriate therapy, monitor its effectiveness, and determine whether it is encountering resistance.
Liquid biopsies in oncology initially focused on detecting and analyzing the numbers and types of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in the blood, but more recently many researchers have focused on cell-free DNA (cfDNA) or circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA). cfDNA testing was first used in the United States in 2011 to diagnose Down’s syndrome, through analysis of fetal DNA present in the mother’s blood. Its use in oncology is more recent. In June 2016, the FDA approved the first liquid biopsy cancer test, the Cobas EGFR Mutation Test v2, for use in non-small cell lung cancer.
Link para a notícia: Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News
