Samantha Black, PhD[email protected]COVID-19New NIH study pinpoints how coronavirus attacks cellsThe rise of next-generation sequencing has led to a boom of viral sequence discovery. The genus betacoronavirus is divided into four lineages (A-D) and contains a number of human viruses. Lineage B has around 200 published virus sequences and includes the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) and the newly emerging SARS-CoV-2 (previously called 2019-nCoV). It is still unknown if other viruses in this lineage have the potential to emerge in humans. Moreover, current techniques to study whether these viruses can enter human cells are technically demanding, time-consuming, and expensive.February 25, 2020Health TopicsEnrichment NGS emerges as surveillance tool for coronavirusCoronaviruses of bat origin have caused two pandemics in the last century, including the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) coronavirus and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) coronavirus. The most recent coronavirus outbreak, named 2019-nCoV, began causing illness in Wuhan, China, in late 2019 and has now spread to the U.S., with the first documented case diagnosed on January 21.January 30, 2020Colorectal CancerMachine learning, tumor DNA testing a winning combo in colon cancerThe study involved the application of a machine-learning algorithm to the development of diagnostic and prognostic models, based on a cohort of 801 patients with colorectal cancer and 1,021 healthy controls. A diagnostic prediction model assessing a panel of DNA methylation markers accurately distinguished patients from healthy individuals with a sensitivity and specificity of 87.5% and 89.9%, respectively, and outperformed the clinically available blood test for carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA). Modeling also predicted the prognosis and survival of colorectal cancer patients, a statistically significant result.January 6, 2020Breast CancerDo all metastatic breast cancer patients deserve genetic testing?With the current NCCN guidelines, testing is considered appropriate for some breast cancer patients according to a complex set of criteria: for example, if a family member has tested positive for a cancer susceptibility gene or for those diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer at age 60 or younger.September 12, 2019Previous PagePage 3 of 3Top StoriesPoint-of-Care TestingScout secures CARB-X grant to advance diagnostic test developmentScout, formerly Uh Oh Labs, will advance its point-of-care (POC) diagnostic test for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) with a new $1 million accelerator grant.Neurodegenerative DiseaseTarget ALS launches new data portal for researchCollaborationIpsen, Skyhawk to collaborate on drug discovery for rare neurological disordersGene silencing and gene editingEngineered Cas clears barrier to antiviral CRISPR therapiesSponsor ContentVisit our Molecular Diagnostics Community
