(Press-News.org) A research team led by Xianghong Jasmine Zhou, PhD, professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, has made an important advancement to address one of the major challenges in cell-free DNA (cfDNA) testing, also known as liquid biopsy. They’ve identified specific methylation patterns unique to each tissue, potentially helping to Identify the specific tissue or organ associated with cfDNA alterations picked up by testing, a critical challenge for accurate diagnosis and monitoring of diseases.
Cell-free DNA has significant potential in disease detection and monitoring. However, accurately quantifying tissue-derived cfDNA has proven challenging with current methods, among them determining the tissue origin of cfDNA fragments detected in these tests.
In a new study, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), a peer reviewed journal of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS), the team developed a comprehensive and high-resolution methylation atlas based on a vast dataset of 521 noncancerous tissue samples representing 29 major types of human tissues. They call the approach cfSort, and showed it successfully identified specific methylation patterns unique to each tissue at the fragment level and validated these findings using additional datasets.
Going further, the team illustrated the clinical applications of cfSort through two potential uses: aiding in disease diagnosis and monitoring treatment side effects. By estimating the tissue-derived cfDNA fraction using cfSort, they were able to assess and predict clinical outcomes in patients.
“We have shown that the cfSort outperformed the existing methods in terms of accuracy and detection limit: making more accurate tissue fraction estimation and distinguishing a lower level of tissue-derived cfDNA,” said first author Shuo Li. “In addition, the cfSort demonstrated nearly perfect robustness toward the unseen local fluctuations of tissue compositions, indicating its wide applicability to diverse individuals.” Read the study in PNAS.
Article: Comprehensive tissue deconvolution of cell-free DNA by deep learning for disease diagnosis and monitoring, 2023-05236R.
END
Researchers develop tool that could improve liquid biopsy
2023-07-03
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Cigarette smoke and HPV have synergistic effects on cells, heightening the risk of head and neck cancer
2023-07-03
Tobacco smoking and human papillomavirus (HPV) are both well-known risk factors for head and neck cancer, but there is ample evidence to show they can interact to increase still further the risk of contracting the disease, according to a study by scientists at the University of São Paulo (USP) in Brazil and the University of Chile. An article on the study is published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences.
The results of the study clarify aspects of the molecular mechanisms ...
ERβ as a mediator of estrogen signaling in inflammatory breast cancer
2023-07-03
“The mechanism of the anti-metastatic activity of ERβ was investigated [...]”
BUFFALO, NY- July 3, 2023 – A new editorial paper was published in Oncotarget's Volume 14 on June 12, 2023, entitled, “ERβ as a mediator of estrogen signaling in inflammatory breast cancer.”
In this new editorial, researchers Harika Nagandla and Christoforos Thomas from Houston Methodist Neal Cancer Center discuss inflammatory breast cancer (IBC)—a rare and aggressive form of breast ...
Pathogenic bacteria use a sugar in the intestinal mucus layer to infect the gut, study shows
2023-07-03
A new study by researchers at the University of British Columbia (UBC) and BC Children’s Hospital shows the sugar sialic acid, which makes up part of the protective intestinal mucus layer, fuels disease-causing bacteria in the gut.
The findings, published in PNAS, suggest a potential treatment target for intestinal bacterial infections and a range of chronic diseases linked to gut bacteria, including inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), celiac disease, irritable bowel syndrome and short bowel syndrome.
“Bacteria need to find a place in our intestines to take hold, establish and expand, and then they need to overcome all the different defences that normally protect our ...
Birds raise fewer young when spring arrives earlier in a warming world
2023-07-03
Rising global temperatures are making it harder for birds to know when it’s spring and time to breed according to a new study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
A large collaboration led by scientists at UCLA and Michigan State University has found that birds produce fewer young if they start breeding too early or late in the season. With climate change resulting in earlier springlike weather, the researchers report, birds have been unable to keep pace.
And, the authors write, the mismatch between the ...
Chemists discover why photosynthetic light-harvesting is so efficient
2023-07-03
When photosynthetic cells absorb light from the sun, packets of energy called photons leap between a series of light-harvesting proteins until they reach the photosynthetic reaction center. There, cells convert the energy into electrons, which eventually power the production of sugar molecules.
This transfer of energy through the light-harvesting complex occurs with extremely high efficiency: Nearly every photon of light absorbed generates an electron, a phenomenon known as near-unity quantum efficiency.
A new study from MIT chemists offers a potential explanation for how proteins of the light-harvesting complex, also called the antenna, achieve that ...
Planting seeds: FSU researchers dig into how chemical gardens grow
2023-07-03
EMBARGOED UNTIL JULY 3 AT 3 P.M. ET
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Kathleen Haughney, University Communications
(850) 644-1489; khaughney@fsu.edu
July 2023
PLANTING SEEDS: FSU RESEARCHERS DIG INTO HOW CHEMICAL GARDENS GROW
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Since the mid-1600s, chemists have been fascinated with brightly colored, coral-like structures that form by mixing metal salts in a small bottle.
Until now, researchers have been unable to model how these deceptively simple tubular structures —called chemical gardens — work and the patterns and rules that ...
Understanding the regulation of apicoplast gene expression in the malaria parasite
2023-07-03
Gene expression within the apicoplast, an organelle in the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum, is regulated by melatonin (the circadian signaling hormone) in host blood, and intrinsic parasite cues, via a factor called ApSigma, as identified by a recent study aided by Tokyo Tech’s World Research Hub Initiative. The regulatory system highlighted in this study might be a future target for malaria treatment.
Malaria is one of the biggest public health risks, with around 240 million people from across the globe contracting it every year. However, this life-threatening disease is ...
Study suggests resistance training can prevent or delay Alzheimer’s disease
2023-07-03
Regular physical exercise, such as resistance training, can prevent Alzheimer’s disease, or at least delay the appearance of symptoms, and serves as a simple and affordable therapy for Alzheimer’s patients. This is the conclusion of an article published in Frontiers in Neuroscience by Brazilian researchers affiliated with the Federal University of São Paulo (UNIFESP) and the University of São Paulo (USP).
Although older people and dementia patients are unlikely to be able to do long daily runs or perform other high-intensity aerobic exercises, these activities are the focus for most scientific studies on ...
First direct visualization of a zero-field pair density wave
2023-07-03
UPTON, NY—In the field of superconductivity—the phenomenon in which electrons can flow through a material with essentially zero resistance—the “holy grail” of discovery is a superconductor that can perform under everyday temperatures and pressures. Such a material could revolutionize modern life. But currently, even the “high-temperature” (high-Tc) superconductors that have been discovered must be kept very cold to function—too cold for most applications.
Scientists still have much to learn before room-temperature ...
Polyphenols Applications 2023 paves the way for artificial intelligence-enhanced therapeutics and space food
2023-07-03
Artificial Intelligence, Space Food & Polyphenols: 2 Ambitious Projects
Polyphenols Applications 2023 World Congress, which will be held on September 28-29 in Malta, will support 2 projects in order to advance in the polyphenols innovations:
1- Polyphenols & Artificial Intelligence:
This project aims to leverage artificial intelligence techniques to enhance the understanding and utilization of polyphenols. You will utilize machine-learning algorithms to analyze large datasets on polyphenols, including their chemical structures, bioactivities, and health effects. ...