Good News from SCOTUS on Gene Patents, But Questions Remain

What goes unaddressed by the justices is the patentability of cDNA based on common genetic variants in cancer. Those are “naturally occurring” mutations, inasmuch as they arise in humans….And the Supremes need to know about biology.

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News on Occupational Exposure to N-PropylBromide, a Neuro-toxin

If people lack education about chemistry and need employment, they may not choose or know what’s in their long-term best interests.

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FDA Approves Pertuzumab for Advanced, Her2+ Breast Cancer

My opinion is not quite formed on this new antibody. The FDA’s decision was based on results of one trial of 808 patients, half of whom didn’t get the experimental drug…

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10 Newly-Defined Molecular Types of Breast Cancer in Nature, and a Dream

The 10 molecular BC categories bear prognostic (survival) information and, based on their distinct mutations and gene expression patterns, potential targets for novel drugs….I wonder if, in a few years, some breast cancers might be treated without surgery.

Posted in Breast Cancer, cancer causes, cancer diagnosis, cancer treatment, Future of Medicine, Oncology (cancer), Pathology, Science, Under the RadarTagged , , , , , , , , , , 3 Comments on 10 Newly-Defined Molecular Types of Breast Cancer in Nature, and a Dream

Review: Dr. Eric Topol’s Creative Destruction of Medicine

Topol’s comfortable writing about the intersection of science and medicine as few physicians are….One theme that emerges through the book is the capacity for technology – by “knowing” and processing so much real-time information about each person’s condition – to inform more effective, individualized treatments.

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The Emperor of All Maladies: A Narrative of Cancer History and Ideas

This week I finished reading the Emperor of All Maladies, the 2010 “biography” of cancer by Dr. Siddhartha Mukherjee. The author, a medical oncologist and researcher now at Columbia University, provides a detailed account of malignancies – and how physicians and scientists have understood and approached a myriad of tumors – through history. The encyclopedic, […]

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A Note on ‘Trial by Twitter’ and Peer Review in 2012

Nature just published a feature: Trial by Twitter. The piece considers the predicament of researchers who may find themselves ill-prepared to deal with a barrage of unsolicited and immediate on-line “reviews” of their published work. The author of the Nature News piece, science journalist A. Mandavilli, does a great job covering the pros and cons of Twitter “comments” […]

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On Admitting Nice, Ethically-Minded People to Med School

This week the Times ran a leading story on a new med school admission process, with multiple, mini-interviews, like speed dating. The idea is to assess applicants’ social, communication and ethical thinking (?) skills: …It is called the multiple mini interview, or M.M.I., and its use is spreading. At least eight medical schools in the United […]

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TV Meets Real Life Oncology, and Anticipating the MCATs

Yesterday I wrote on some tough decisions facing a TV show‘s protagonist. She’s got metastatic melanoma and might participate in a clinical trial when the show resumes. Now imagine you’re an oncologist, or a real patient with this killing disease – you really need to be on top of new developments, to understand the pros […]

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