Genetic analysis predicts whether liver cancer likely to recur
October 16, 2008 by admin · Leave a Comment
New technology makes it possible to study tissue samples locked away for decades
Researchers are poised to unlock the genetic secrets stored in hundreds of thousands of cancer biopsy samples locked in long-term storage and previously thought to be useless for modern genetic research. With the aid of a new technique developed by Howard Hughes Medical Institute researchers, scientists can now reconstruct thousands of genes that are “shredded” into tiny pieces when tissue samples are treated with a chemical fixative and stored in wax – a protocol that is commonly used to preserve the samples.
