Part 4 - The Future of Research
What does the future of research hold for us?
We present some interesting developments of research here:
Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) – The ability to sequence a human genome within a few days was unthinkable in the past. The aim now is to bring the sequencing cost down to below US$1,000, so that it is more affordable to patients and the public. Another area of development is to create small, palm-sized sequencing machine that can be used in inaccessible area, where many of the patients reside. Find out more about NGS here
CRISP/Cas9 Gene Editing System – The CRISPR-Cas system was selected by Science journal as the 2015 Breakthrough of the Year. Researchers have successfully used the system to modify the genes of the vector for malaria, thus controlling malaria. There are researches on the possibility of using this technique to correct genetic mutations with the hope of treating genetic diseases such as Down Syndrome. To learn about gene editing and CRISP/Cas9 system, read up here.
Personalised Cancer Vaccine – One recent study successfully prevented early relapses in 12 people with skin cancer by creating a personalized vaccine tailored to the mutated proteins in the patient’s tumor. This is still early stage trials and needs to be proven to work on a larger population. The vaccines are also costly and take months to make, which may be too long for some patients with metastatic disease. To learn more about this new techniques, read up here.
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