Back in 2009, TIME magazine featured biobanks among “10 Ideas Changing the World Right Now”. Fast forward to today, with an increase in omics technology and a shift towards precision medicine, biobanks have become an indispensable requisite for biomedical research. Biobanks are catering to national, regional, and disease-specific needs. The facilities store a diverse array …
Biobanks need a better system to store DNA samples Read More »
In a world besieged by a myriad of health challenges, few adversaries strike fear into our hearts as profoundly as cancer does. Like an invisible assailant, it lurks in the shadows, stealthily infiltrating lives, families, and communities. In 2022 alone, a staggering 10 million people died of cancer, globally. Cancer deaths by type. Image source: https://ourworldindata.org/cancer#the-number-of-cancer-deaths-is-increasing-as-the-world-population-is-growing-an In …
Back in 2004, researchers at UCLA published a study demonstrating the feasibility of using saliva to detect oral cancer. They analyzed saliva samples collected from patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma and healthy individuals. They looked for mutations in the p53 gene (which is known to be associated with oral cancer development). Using PCR, they …
Short-read sequencing has revolutionized the field of biomedical research. Compared to traditional methods, it’s faster and more cost-effective. Short reads are effective for applications aimed at counting the abundance of specific sequences, identifying variants within otherwise well-conserved sequences, or profiling the expression of particular transcripts. Image source: https://www.hudsonalpha.org/piecing-together-the-genome-the-long-and-short-of-it-all/ Here are some of the short-read sequencing technologies making …
Have you seen Hercules (yes, the Greek mythology hero) bursting out some sick dance moves? Or old photos coming to life with the Heritage AI? It’s all pretty dope and doesn’t even come close to covering what all AI can do! But let’s focus on the impact of AI in genomics as of May 2023. …
AI’s impact on scientific research (as of May, 2023) Read More »
A study estimates the percentage of US cancer patients eligible for cutting-edge checkpoint inhibitor drugs has skyrocketed from 1.54% in 2011 to 43.63% in 2018. But, the treatment has a success rate of only 20-40% and in some cases, it may cause severe auto-immune reactions. What is the key factor that doctors consider when deciding …
Have you ever wondered why a medication that works wonders for others may not have the same effect on you? Well, it turns out that our genes, lifestyle, and environment all play a role in how our bodies respond to medical treatments. Enter – Genomics (and its tools that enable risk assessment and prediction). Genomics …
Beyond Trial and Error: How Genomics is Personalizing Medicine Read More »
At Cambrian, we develop bio tools for life sciences research, cell and gene therapy, and molecular diagnostic workflows. Often times we find ourselves, a bunch of molecular biologists, chemists, and engineers, brainstorming endlessly to stay current with advancements in the field. Various questions arise that need further research like ”which genes are used to assess …
What are Magnetic Beads? Magnetic beads are nanoparticles that help to extract specific biomolecules. They have a core of iron oxide, covered with layers of different functional groups depending upon what to isolate. This provides the bead discrete binding properties and enables the purification of DNA, RNA, proteins, etc. in an easy, effective, and scalable …
Cell-free DNA (cfDNA) as the name signifies are the bits of DNA present free of cells – in the blood. As a cell dies, it releases its fragmented contents into the blood including diseased DNA among others (exosomes, miRNA, etc.). This forms the basis of cfDNA analysis diagnosing several conditions. Why Use cfDNA for Analysis? …
