Dr. Victor Veulescu in his lab at Johns Hopkins

Residual cancer, after surgery, leaves biomakers in the blood-both protein and DNA.  Protein markers tend to be less specific and less sensitive than DNA in this situation.  So, Victor Velculescu, at Johns Hopkins, carried out research that sequenced short snippets (25 base pairs) of DNA fragments that were highly sensitive and specific to an individual’s tumor.  The sequencing cost remains a barrier, but this approach could indicate to an oncologist whether or not chemotherapy is indicated.  MORE

Image Credit:  Johns Hopkins University and Technology Review