On January 29, 2020, Bluestar Genomics, a company developing innovative, data-driven, epigenomic approaches to comprehensive disease analysis and diagnostics, announced publication of a new study demonstrating the efficacy of their 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC) signal detection technology for its use in breast, lung, pancreatic, and prostate cancer. The study was published online in medRxiv. The article is titled “Pilot Study Demonstrating Changes in DNA Hydroxymethylation Enable Detection of Multiple Cancers in Plasma Cell-Free DNA.” Results from the study provide further evidence that, using a single blood draw, Bluestar Genomics' technology can non-invasively detect cancers and help identify the underlying biology of the disease using epigenetic markers. Breast, lung, pancreatic, and prostate cancer make up 41% of the cancer incidence in the United States. Early detection and a deep understanding of each cancer remain critical for implementing the highest quality of care. Tissue biopsy is invasive, and screening methods are limited for many forms of cancer and often fall short of capturing the complete genomic landscape. Bluestar Genomics uses liquid biopsy combined with 5hmC profiling to provide a detailed picture of the genomic landscape and identify potential biologic pathways that may be driving tumor progression. "We have taken significant strides to strengthen our understanding of the underlying biology related to multiple forms of cancer and the tumor microenvironment," said Samuel Levy, PhD, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Scientific Officer, Bluestar Genomics. "In addition to early-stage cancer detection capabilities, our knowledge of 5hmC distribution across the genome can potentially yield new candidate biomarkers.Login Or Register To Read Full Story