Agilent公司推出鉴别间皮瘤细胞基因改变的新技术

使用对比基因杂交微阵列技术,研究人员将可以进一步了解间皮瘤,这是一种在胸部、腹腔和心脏周围发生的癌症.

这种癌症通常是由于暴露于石棉所导致的.由于澳大利亚在20世纪中期发达的石棉开采与制造活动,这个国家的间皮瘤发病率位居世界首位.在过去20年中该病发病率增加了3倍.诊断较为困难,以至于许多患者直到疾病晚期才得以鉴别.

这种新型对比基因杂交微阵列技术是由Agilent技术公司研制开发的,能够帮助研究人员快速可靠的鉴别出肿瘤细胞中的基因改变.科学家相信,特异性基因改变也许伴随疾病的发生与进展.

澳大利亚Peter MacCallum癌症中心的Andrew Holloway医生说:"Agilent公司的对比基因杂交微阵列技术将帮助我们研究整个基因组,这在以前的基因研究中是不可能的.在完成的时候,这项计划将产生世界上最大的间皮瘤数据库.我们非常乐观,那将帮助我们更好地理解与解释这种灾难性疾病."【本文由美迪医疗网成扬编译】

Identifying Genetic Changes in Mesothelioma Cells
 
Using a comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) microarray technology, researchers will attempt to better understand mesothelioma, a cancer found in the lining of the chest, the abdominal cavity, and around the heart.

The cancer is usually caused by exposure to asbestos. Due to Australia’s active mining and manufacturing of asbestos in the mid-1900s, the country has the highest incidence of mesothelioma in the world. Rates of the disease have tripled in the past 20 years, and are expected to peak about 2010. Diagnosis is difficult, so patients are often not identified until the condition is advanced.

The new CGH microarray techniques, developed by Agilent Technologies (Palo Alto, USA), will allow researchers to rapidly and reliably identify genetic changes in tumor cells. Scientists believe that specific genetic changes may accompany the onset and progression of the disease.

“Agilent’s CGH technology will allow us to study the entire genome in a manner that hasn’t been possible in previous genomic research,” said Dr. Andrew Holloway, of the Peter MacCallum Cancer Center (Melbourne, Australia). “Upon completion, this project will produce the largest data set of its kind on mesothelioma in the world. We are very optimistic that it will give us a much clearer understanding and interpretation of this devastating disease.”