Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Scientists Claim To Develop Simple, Fast Blood Test That Detects Cancer
USA Today: Cancer Researchers In Australia Develop Universal Blood Test
Australian scientists have developed a simple blood test that they claim can diagnose cancer in mere minutes by identifying a unique DNA signature present in all types of the disease. A genetic pattern in all cancers, researchers said Tuesday, could help make diagnosing cancer more accessible and affordable. The blood test detected cancer with 90 percent accuracy in the University of Queensland’s tests of different human cancers and healthy cells and can be done in only 10 minutes. (Lam, 12/4)
CNN: Australian Researchers Develop 10-Minute Cancer Test
The test works by identifying the presence of that structure, a discovery which could help detect cancer in humans far earlier than current methods, according to the paper published in journal Nature Communications. "Discovering that cancerous DNA molecules formed entirely different 3D nanostructures from normal circulating DNA was a breakthrough that has enabled an entirely new approach to detect cancer non-invasively in any tissue type including blood," said Professor Matt Trau in a statement. (McKirdy, 12/5)
