We’ve discussed dark matter before. Understanding the unobserved and unknown areas of the human genome could ultimately lead to a better understanding of cancer and, subsequently, better treatment options. A Dark Daily news briefing reported recent studies in dark matter, which cited the telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) gene as being ...

“Dark matter” sounds like something George Lucas would tell us is at the heart of the empire. In reality, it’s the parts of the human genome that science has yet to identify -- which still sounds like it belongs in a sci-fi movie, but the discovery could provide researchers with a new type of specimen with which to analyze the human genome. A ...

The rise of personalized treatment has healthcare professionals completely rethinking the way they treat cancer. At the molecular level, each is different and should be treated accordingly, but similarities shouldn’t be ignored either. A study from the Cancer genome Atlas (TCGA) Research Network on endometrial tumors divided the cancer types ...

Imagine a healthcare facility where a small sample of blood is taken as you walk in the door, just .25 attomoles -- you’d barely notice. They drop your sample into a small, handheld device and, by the time your physician has come to see you, they are ready to tell you if they would like further testing for diseases like Alzheimer’s or cancer ...

With genetic research has come the realization that cancers are unique -- not just in terms of where they are in the body, but in their molecular make up. Although the industry is focusing on personalized medicine as a treatment option recently, some researchers can’t help but wonder about the prospect of a universal treatment, a drug to fight ...

Most of us know amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) by its other name, Lou Gehrig’s disease. After a recent preliminary trial at Emory University yielded positive results, a phase II trial has been approved by the FDA. An article from Newswise described the first phase of the trial as fairly successful, stating all procedures were “delivered ...

With so many new technologies emerging in recent years, trying to combine multiple advances can be challenging, especially when those advances haven’t been standardized yet. In a recent article from Newswise, doctors and researchers from both the Mayo Clinic and Harvard Medical School discussed “a new problem in the delivery of personalized ...

The introduction of new drugs that combat disease and infection at the genetic level has been a landmark breakthrough, both for laboratory science as well as for patient treatment plans. Cell-based therapeutics, on the other hand, stand to become influential in the coming years. A recent story from Newswise reported cell therapy as the next ...

The ethical implications of genetic sequencing are really only just beginning to be fully realized, and these questions continue to contribute to the growing debate over information provided by the human genome.  A recent story from NPR chronicled Henrietta Lacks and the surprisingly indefinite life of her cells. In the article, Rebecca ...

The handheld testing application has always been something I’ve only ever imagined as a bad plot device in science fiction. For researchers at Columbia University’s The Flu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science, it was apparently much, much more than that. A recent news briefing from Dark Daily announced the introduction of a ...