Professor Dennis Yuk Ming Lo, associate dean of medicine at Chinese University, has developed a new method called liquid biopsy, which he claims can detect many kinds of cancer at a very early stage. Lo’s method decodes millions of DNA fragments in a human’s blood with the use of a DNA-sequencing machine. The results are then compared to that of a normal human genome or a complete set of human DNA. Researchers can now spot rearranged DNA patterns – a significant sign of a tumor. The liquid biopsy technology, cited by MIT Technology Review, is the result of over 20 years of research.
Meet the Newly Named National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH)
The National Institutes of Health agency responsible for scientific research on the diverse medical and health care systems, practices, and products that are not generally considered part of conventional medicine has a new name–the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH).
Formerly the NCCAM (National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine), the NCCIH still offers the same level of quality health information in the field of complementary and alternative medical/health (CAM) practices. One of the NCCIH main focuses is on conducting research that encourages self-care methods that support healthier lifestyles and uncovers potential usefulness and safety issues of natural products. The practices and products studied by the NCCIH are prioritized by four guiding principles: scientific promise, amenability to be studied using the highest quality research methods, use by the American public, and the potential impact on public health.
For a list of other reliable CAM websites and databases, search the Library website‘s MSKSearch function with the word complementary. A list of relevant databases will appear under the DATABASES section on the next page.
Little Links to Lots of Big Issues
In this edition of Blog Buzz;
- Buzzfeed Science Editor Virginia Hughes writes on the revelation by Sequenom Laboratories of rare cases where prenatal genetic tests have helped to find cancer in pregnant women. The numbers are still small but are bound to increase, and the ethical questions surrounding how inconclusive results, the possibility of false positives, and a largely unregulated industry interweave here are certainly significant. Read all about it here.
- Lots of posts on the Supreme Court arguments this week…there are several over on Health Affairs Blog, on Vox Understanding ‘Pennhurst’…by Adrianna McIntyre, and from Nicolas Bagley Avoiding Constitutional Avoidance.
- My bioethics “Spidey senses” are tingling again…From MIT Tech Review, a story called Germ Line Engineering with CRISPR Leads to Designer Human Embryos.
- And let’s not forget last week’s net neutrality rulings in which the Federal Communications Commission decided to regulate Broadband as a utility. The SCOTUS Blog provides some “plain English” explanations of the proceedings. You can also find coverage from the NY Times and here is an official joint statement from five library professional organizations, including the Medical Library Association, submitted to the FCC in July supporting net neutrality and Title II as a “practicable” way to protect it.