Blogs / 80beats

A biotechnology company has announced a new price for sequencing an individual’s entire genome: $5,000. The announcement from the California start-up Complete Genomics signifies a drastic price drop–the going rate for a complete genome is currently about $100,000–and could allow researchers to routinely collect vast amounts of genetic information. Researchers say that a $5,000 genome would enable new studies to identify rare genetic variants linked to common diseases, and it could open up the sequencing market to diagnostic and pharmaceutical companies, making genome sequencing a routine part of clinical drug testing [ABC News].

Complete Genomics won’t offer its services directly to people who are curious about their genetic makeup, setting it apart from consumer-oriented companies like 23andMe and deCODE Genetics. Complete Genomics expects most of its customers to be pharmaceutical companies or research laboratories that are doing studies aimed at finding genes linked to diseases. Such studies might look at the DNA of 1,000 people with a disease and 1,000 people without the disease. Right now, such studies look at only particular locations in the DNA because it is too expensive to determine the entire DNA sequence. But presumably, an entire sequence would provide more complete information [The New York Times].

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Researchers say they have turned a tobacco plant into a living factory that can produce individualized vaccines to fight a type of cancer known as follicular lymphoma. While similar vaccines have been grown inside animal cells, researchers say this new process is quicker and less expensive, and could carry less risk to the patient, as animal cells might hold unknown viruses [BBC News].

In the new technique, researchers took biopsies from each lymphoma patient and isolated the gene that produces tumor-fighting antibodies, which is slightly different in each person. In each case, they then used a genetically engineered tobacco virus to bring the gene into a tobacco plant, where the plant responded by turning out antibodies. One week later the tobacco leaves were picked and ground into pulp, and the antibodies were extracted. These antibodies are put into a patient newly-diagnosed with the disease, to “prime” the body’s immune system to attack any cell carrying them. If successful, this would mean the body would then recognise and destroy the lymphoma cells [BBC News].

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Researchers have developed a test that may soon allow doctors to track the progress of lung cancer tumors in “real time.” A sophisticated device allows doctors to detect and isolate the few circulating tumor cells that travel through the blood stream, which can then provide information about the main tumor’s growth and its response to medication.

As tumors grow, a handful of cancer cells may peel away and slip into the blood, [study author Daniel] Haber says. While few in number — with about one cancer cell for every 1 billion blood cells — these cells can be deadly if they settle in other parts of the body and form new tumors, a process called metastasis. Until now, doctors have never been able to easily analyze them [USA Today]. Now doctors will be able to conduct a genetic analysis of the free-floating tumor cells, allowing doctors to tailor their treatment to the individual patient and taking an important step towards “personalized medicine.”

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The next revolution in health care may be the dawn of “personalized medicine,” where a patient’s genetic makeup is taken into account when prescribing drugs and dosages. A sign of that coming era came over the weekend at an important oncology meeting, where the biotech company ImClone Systems announced that its colon cancer drug was not effective on about 40 percent of patients who have a mutated form of a cell-growth gene.

The trend towards personalized medicine will have repercussions for pharmaceutical companies, who are used to searching for the next blockbuster cancer drug that can benefit a vast number of patients.

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