All tagged Cancer

Sensitive detection of methylation patterns in cell-free DNA opens doors for early cancer detection

In the milieu of rushing blood, plasma, and cells, small wayward bits of DNA are easy to overlook. But stored within these scraps of genetic material, known as cell-free DNA (cfDNA), is information offering the earliest glimpses of cancer development. Being able to detect and understand these signals could dramatically improve our ability to detect and treat cancer before the disease has developed.

Targeted RNA-Seq Expands the Toolkit for Early Cancer Detection

RNA-seq is an essential research tool that holds exciting prospects for the early detection of cancer. However, in clinical samples highly abundant mRNA and rRNA sequences obscure rarer RNA subtypes that may hold the keys to early cancer detection, such as long non-coding RNA. Here we dive into recent research from the University of Ghent outlining the use of targeted RNA-seq to enrich lncRNA from various sample types and discuss how recent advances make target enrichment an invaluable tool for high-resolution RNA-seq experiments.