Elie Dolgin, PHD, Science Journalist

Using DNA, radiation therapy gets personal

Elie Dolgin • Sep 23, 2016

Gene-based tests aim to predict who will benefit from radiation, or suffer.

At most cancer hospitals today, medical oncologists routinely order genetic tests that help guide their treatment decisions. If the tumor has a certain DNA mutation, the patient may be a good candidate for a targeted drug therapy; if it overexpresses a series of genes, chemotherapy might work well. But down the hallway in the radiation ward, cancer patients typically get a one-size-fits-all course of radiotherapy, regardless of their genetics or those of their cancer.


A small but increasing number of radiation oncologists is hoping to change that.


Continue reading at Science.

mRNA inside a lipid nanoparticle
By Elie Dolgin 03 Apr, 2024
Drug trial results show that vaccines aren't the only use for the mRNA technology behind the most widely used COVID-19 jabs.
Man wearing the FSYX Ocular Pressure Adjusting Pump device for glaucoma treatment.
By Elie Dolgin 22 Mar, 2024
FDA panel’s green light on glaucoma wearable device offers hope in sight.
Share by: