Cancer Gene Sequencing will Lead to More Focused Care Processes

SlonePartners (Feb. 22, 2012)

If specific gene mutations could be tracked in cancer cells, doctors would be better able to target specific problem areas in patients, along with being more equipped to predict future health concerns. Georgia Tech researchers think they may have developed a solution to the massive amount of data involved with gene sequencing, which will give those seeking careers in pathology the ability to more easily uncover information about cancer.

Scientists have for years grappled with the issue of efficiently understanding data related to gene sequencing, because of the sheer volume of genetic information contained within the human genome. To address this problem, Georgia Tech researchers have developed R-SAP, an algorithm that quickly translates genetic information into readable information for those with clinical research jobs.

“A major bottleneck in the realization of the dream of personalized medicine is no longer technological. It’s computational,” Georgia Tech’s John McDonald, director of the facility’s Integrated Cancer Research Center, said in a press release. “R-SAP follows a hierarchical decision-making procedure to accurately characterize various classes of gene transcripts in cancer samples.” (full story..(link to paper)