New ask Hacker News story: Ask HN: Can you identify a cancer cell's host from its DNA?
Ask HN: Can you identify a cancer cell's host from its DNA?
3 by didgetmaster | 0 comments on Hacker News.
Criminals (especially murderers) are often convicted at least partially by matching their DNA to evidence left at the scene of the crime (hair, skin, blood, semen, etc). DNA labs are getting really good at matching smaller and smaller samples of cells with their host. Cancer cells are different. They are created when the DNA in them is altered through mutation and/or outside influence. As I understand it, the DNA in a cancer cell is different from all the other cells in your body. Does anyone know if it is different enough that it cannot be used to successfully identify which host a sample came from? If the only evidence left behind by a criminal was some cancer cells, could a DNA lab say it came from them?
3 by didgetmaster | 0 comments on Hacker News.
Criminals (especially murderers) are often convicted at least partially by matching their DNA to evidence left at the scene of the crime (hair, skin, blood, semen, etc). DNA labs are getting really good at matching smaller and smaller samples of cells with their host. Cancer cells are different. They are created when the DNA in them is altered through mutation and/or outside influence. As I understand it, the DNA in a cancer cell is different from all the other cells in your body. Does anyone know if it is different enough that it cannot be used to successfully identify which host a sample came from? If the only evidence left behind by a criminal was some cancer cells, could a DNA lab say it came from them?
Comments
Post a Comment