A leading team of scientists from the US and India have developed a brain cancer atlas which could pave the way for precision medicines that tackle tumours.
The Ivy Glioblastoma Atlas – published in Science – is designed to make practitioners and patients better equipped to fight against Glioblastoma, ‘the most common type of malignant brain tumour in adults’.
“Currently we provide the same standard treatment of surgery, followed by radiation plus chemotherapy, for all glioblastoma patients,” explained Barnholtz-Sloan, who is also professor and associate director for bioinformatics/translational informatics at CWRU’s School of Medicine. “But the tumours are not all the same. They have different molecular changes, which means that we may need to provide separate, tailored treatments to tackle each one. By identifying unique features of these tumours that may benefit from targeted therapies, the Atlas will enable patients to experience the benefits of precision medicine, increasing the chances for better response to treatment and hence better survival.”
The future of healthcare will be shaped by the development of precision medicines; with the holy grail of gene-editing tech an area we have have covered many times on these pages, for its potential to offer bespoke solutions for people suffering from diseases – including cancers.