Digital-Droplet PCR Gets Another ‘D’
Posted 2nd November 2018 by Jane Williams
Triple-d PCR enhances digital PCR sensitivity and precision for liquid biopsies
Digital-droplet PCR (ddPCR) has been implemented in diverse fields such as cancer biomarkers, viral load detection, prenatal screening, organ donor rejection, or library assessment for next generation sequencing. Detection of emerging resistance or minimal residual disease via ddPCR in liquid biopsies is also growing rapidly.
The Challenge of Accurately Performing Skin Microbiome Metagenomic Studies
Posted 27th November 2017 by Jane Williams
The human skin is densely colonised with a complex microbial community (1). Microbes are a part of the skin barrier that, combined with innate immunity, keeps the balance essential to maintaining healthy skin (2). Recent and independent research projects strongly suggested that human skin microbiota is of a major importance for human health and could be targeted to improve the skin health.
Cancer Therapy in the Genomic Era: Barriers and Distractions
Posted 20th November 2017 by Jane Williams
Recent step change advances in sequencing technologies have delivered a near-complete lexicon of genomic cancer drivers. In parallel, progress in synthetic chemistry has facilitated the assembly of a broad armamentarium of molecularly-targeted therapies. However, whilst immunotherapy agents have produced notable benefits for subgroups of patients, the impact of molecularly-targeted therapies have been relatively modest.
Further unlocking the undeniable power of genomics in cancer will involve both the systematic removal of barriers and the avoidance of distractions that obscure progress. Both of which are discussed here.
Next Generation Sequencing Technology: An Open Letter From Mostafa Ronaghi
Posted 18th September 2017 by Jane Williams
Dear Colleagues,
Launched in 1990, the Human Genome Project involved thousands of scientists across the globe and took 13 years to complete. Using capillary electrophoresis-based Sanger sequencing, it cost nearly $3 billion. In 2014 Illumina announced the first technology that could sequence a whole genome for less than $1,000.