DNA

The next frontier in precision oncology sits at the intersection of transcriptomics (RNA sequencing), AI technology, and the multiple global validated data sources of existing therapies and clinical trials. As evidenced in the WINTHER trial (Nature Med, April 2019), RNA analysis surfaces actionable data and gives patients and their oncologists the tools to make better treatment decisions about advanced cancers whose biomarkers are hiding in plain sight. This article presents six cases studies from the WINTHER clinical trial to illustrate the power of this new approach to treatment decision-making.

Cancer scientists are going beyond DNA to study RNA and the transcriptome. A recent Omicure et al. article in the Journal of Clinical Colorectal Cancer highlights how RNA sequencing is revealing further characteristics of cancer than those known via DNA. This can potentially lead to additional therapeutic options, particularly once treatment resistance has set in.

Advances in scientific research and technology have all contributed to a decrease in the cancer mortality rate across the world. Still, cancer remains an untamed beast that continues...

Personalized biopsy-driven treatment based on DNA sequencing has been tested in various settings for over ten years. Unfortunately, the response rate is disappointing. A recent study shows that profiling RNA, instead of DNA, allows the more advanced cancer patients to benefit from personalized therapies, compared to the standard analysis of DNA alterations alone.