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Generation of Heterogeneous Drug Gradients Across Cancer Populations on a Microfluidic Evolution Accelerator for Real-Time Observation
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Dissecting cancer evolution at the macro-heterogeneity and micro-heterogeneity scale
Louise J Barber1, Matthew N Davies1, Marco Gerlinger2
1Translational Oncogenomics Laboratory, Centre for Evolution and Cancer, Division of Molecular Pathology, The Institute of Cancer Research, 237 Fulham Road, London SW3 6JB, UK.
Current Opinion in Genetics & Development
|January 3, 2015
Summary
Understanding cancer
Area of Science:
- Oncology and evolutionary biology.
Background:
- Intratumour heterogeneity and cancer evolution drive therapy failure.
- Current understanding of heterogeneity is limited to macroheterogeneity.
- Cancer evolution necessitates novel therapeutic strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore how novel technologies reveal microheterogeneity and clonal dynamics.
- To delineate the rules governing cancer evolution.
- To identify new therapeutic intervention angles.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing single-cell sequencing technologies.
- Employing blood-based subclonal tracking methods.
- Analyzing microheterogeneity and clonal evolution dynamics.
Main Results:
- Novel technologies provide detailed insights into microheterogeneity.
- Understanding cancer evolution dynamics is advancing.
- New perspectives on therapeutic interventions are emerging.
Conclusions:
- Detailed insights into microheterogeneity and clonal evolution are crucial.
- Understanding cancer evolutionary plasticity is key for effective treatments.
- Novel technological approaches offer new angles for therapeutic intervention.
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