Oct 22, 2012 | Digital Pathology, Laboratory Instruments & Laboratory Equipment, Laboratory News, Laboratory Operations, Laboratory Pathology
Pathologists and clinical laboratory managers may see an explosion of new diagnostic tests in the wake of ENCODE’s discoveries
You know it’s big news when multiple scientific journals publish numerous papers on the same day, covering the same genetic research topic. That is why pathologists and clinical laboratory professionals will want to learn more about “ENCODE,” the global research initiative that is the source of almost 40 published papers during recent weeks.
Of equal importance, this is basic science that is unlocking knowledge of human DNA that is expected to drive an entire new field of medical diagnostics. In turn, the host of new medical laboratory tests based on ENCODE’s new scientific findings will create additional opportunities for the nation’s clinical laboratories to deliver more value to physicians and patients. (more…)
Jun 21, 2010 | Instruments & Equipment, Laboratory News, Laboratory Pathology
Disruptive technology drops the cost of DNA methylation sequencing by 100-fold
As sequencing of individual human genomes becomes more affordable and useful, the next big hurdle in genetic science will be to map the human epigenome. While DNA provides the blueprint for building a human being, the epigenome determines the details of how that blueprint is expressed in an individual. Pathologists and clinical laboratory administrators will want to track efforts to map and understand the human epigenome.
The epigenome is a set of chemical modifications to the genome that are not encoded in the DNA but which modulate how and when genes are expressed. Methylation is only one marker in the complex epigenetic map, but it is an important one. Methylation suppresses gene activity, and is thought to be responsible for suppressing some genes that prevent cancer. Though researchers are a long way from using this knowledge to cure cancer or other diseases, faster, more affordable DNA methylation sequencing will help move that research forward.
(more…)
