One Step Closer to Conquering Cancer

A new technology, the tissue microarray, is providing scientists with a powerful weapon in the war against cancer according to The Science Advisory Board.

ARLINGTON, VA (PRWEB) June 6, 2003 -- A new technology, the tissue microarray, is providing scientists with a powerful weapon in the war against cancer according to The Science Advisory Board. Tissue microarrays enable the high throughput analysis of hundreds of molecular markers in thousands of cell or tissue samples at a time. Tissue microarrays are made-up of tiny discs of tissue specimens (approximately 1 mm in diameter) that are arranged on a single microscope slide. Many of the applications for tissue microarrays have come from the field of cancer research.

In a recent Instant Poll sponsored by The Science Advisory Board, the 541 members who participated split into three equal groups when asked to assess where tissue microarrays might have the greatest impact on cancer. One third of the participants claimed that the technology would be most useful in developing diagnostic and prognostic tools, another third believed that it would be valuable in classifying diseases into molecularly defined groups and the remaining third thought it would play a significant role in identifying targets for therapeutic regimes.

Tissue microarrays are capable of determining the frequency of molecular alterations in different tumor types, tracking tumor progression, identifying predictive factors, and validating gene targets. By disclosing the clinical significance of suspect genes, I believe that tissue microarrays will be ideal for genomics-based diagnostic and drug target discovery applications," claims Tamara Zemlo, Ph.D., MPH, Director of Scientific and Medical Communications for The Science Advisory Board.

Specifically, tissue microarrays can be used to analyze hundreds of tumors from patients displaying cancers at different developmental stages in order to identify where along this progression pathway specific gene alterations take place. The technology can also look at which molecular markers in these tissues correlate with the poorest prognosis. Furthermore, tissue microarrays can be utilized to examine multiple diseases at once like different tumor types, distinguish between malignant versus nonmalignant cells, and confirm the presence of normal tissues in biopsies.

ABOUT THE SCIENCE ADVISORY BOARD

The Science Advisory Board is an online panel of more than 14,944 scientists, physicians and other life science and medical professionals from 62 countries. By convening electronically, Science Advisory Board members participate in online studies to voice their opinions on issues that directly affect the evolution and development of the tools and techniques of their professions. The Science Advisory Board is currently conducting ongoing studies in other exciting areas of the life sciences. Scientists can contribute their own views on the tools and techniques of their field by participating at http://www.scienceboard.net. The Science Advisory Board was organized in 1997 by BioInformatics, LLC (http://www.gene2drug.com), a research and consulting firm located in Arlington, VA.

CONTACT:
Dr. Tamara Zemlo
Director, Scientific & Medical Communications
The Science Advisory Board
2111 Wilson Blvd, Suite 250
Arlington, VA 22201
703.778.3080 x 25 phone
t.zemlo@scienceboard.net
http://www.scienceboard.net

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