A cancer test kit developed in Singapore reportedly detects warning signs of the disease years before the onset of physical symptoms. The kit works by examining minute changes in the chemical bases that comprise DNA -- in some cancers, cytosine has been shown to undergo a molecular structure-altering chemical change that occurs well in advance of actual cell mutation. If detected early, this cytosine methylation can indicate the potential for a future condition, and doctors can administer pre-emptive treatment in an attempt to prevent the development of cancer. The cancer diagnostic kit is a project of the Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB) and electronics giant Hitachi, and addresses the inaccuracy of conventional screening methods which only examine a few genes at a time by examining multiple areas in one test.
[Via Philoneist]
1. great news!
Posted at 11:18PM on Nov 15th 2005 by beauty