Cancer Study , Detects Patterns in DNA, , Could Lead to <br />Personalized Treatments.<br />The study was conducted by researchers at the University of Cambridge.<br />After an analysis of more than 12,000 cancerous tumors, researchers have been able to pinpoint clues left behind by the DNA of the disease.<br />Such knowledge can assist physicians in specific treatments geared toward a patient's particular cancer diagnosis. .<br />It’s like looking at a very busy beach with thousands of footprints in the sand. , Dr. Serena Nik-Zainal, Lead Study Author, <br />via 'The Guardian'.<br />To the untrained eye, the footprints appear to be random and meaningless, Dr. Serena Nik-Zainal, Lead Study Author, <br />via 'The Guardian'.<br />But if you are able to study them closely, you can learn a lot about what’s been going on, distinguish between animal and <br />human prints, , Dr. Serena Nik-Zainal, Lead Study Author, <br />via 'The Guardian'.<br />... whether it’s an adult or child, what direction they’re traveling in, etc. It’s the same thing with the mutational signatures. , Dr. Serena Nik-Zainal, Lead Study Author, <br />via 'The Guardian'.<br />The use of whole genome sequencing can identify which ‘footprints’ are relevant/ important and reveal what’s happened through the development of the cancer, Dr. Serena Nik-Zainal, Lead Study Author, <br />via 'The Guardian'.<br />Researchers recognized 58 mutational signatures of cancer that had not yet been articulated.<br />This means that cancer likely has causes that are currently unknown. .<br />Study authors say that such knowledge can lead to a discovery of the "Achilles heel" of specific cancers.<br />The reason it is important to identify mutational signatures is because they are like fingerprints at a crime scene – they help to pinpoint cancer culprits, Dr. Serena Nik-Zainal, Lead Study Author, <br />via 'The Guardian'.<br />Some mutational signatures have clinical or treatment implications – they can highlight abnormalities that may be targeted with <br />specific drugs... , Dr. Serena Nik-Zainal, Lead Study Author, <br />via 'The Guardian'.<br />... or may indicate a <br />potential ‘Achilles heel’ <br />in individual cancers, Dr. Serena Nik-Zainal, Lead Study Author, <br />via 'The Guardian'
