Chips to prevent breast cancer

2002/03/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Ingeniaritza

The chip that detects which genes are activated in breast cancer will help doctors design the appropriate therapies.

The appearance of cancer offers little data on the development of the disease, so most women receive hormone treatment and chemotherapy at once.

This aggressive treatment is prescribed by preventing cancer from becoming aggressive, even though only 20% of cancers do.

Now, from the point of view of active genes, a new method has been devised to differentiate these aggressive cancers. This technique would reduce the number of patients receiving unnecessary treatment.

The chips are coated with modified DNA thread and emit light when they adhere to their mRNA complement, the molecule that forms the genes active in the cells. In this way, active genes become visible and an aggressive cancer profile is possible.

However, before these expensive chips reach our clinics, deeper studies will be needed.