DNA Sequencing Detects Residual Leukemia
Genomic method is more sensitive than other techniques looking for lingering cells post-chemotherapy.
GenomeWeb Daily News reports that DNA sequencing is able to track cancerous blood cells in leukemia patients even when currently used methods cannot. The findings, published on May 16 in the journal Science Translational Medicine, suggest that high-throughput sequencing could improve the diagnosis and post-treatment monitoring of leukemia. The sequencing-based method is more sensitive than one of the two typical methods of detecting the malignant cells (flow cytometry) and cheaper and faster than the other (quantitative real-time PCR).
GenomeWeb notes that the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, one of the research institutions involved in the study, has applied for patents related to the technique.