Using a using a single-needle biopsy and new technology for tumor diagnosis developed by Baylor College of Medicine and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, researchers have been able to provide a more detailed and wider window into cancer biology, tumor type and the mechanisms of response and resistance to therapy than with conventional approaches.
This new-method analyzes the combination of tumor genetic material (genomics) with deep protein and phosphoprotein characterization (proteomics) using a single-needle core biopsy from a patient's tumor. This type of proteogenomic analysis had only been possible before with much larger tissue samples taken at surgery and shows promise for future use in clinical application. The study outlining this new micro-scale technology appears in the journal Nature Communications.
