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When Destiny Meets Lousy Luck, Know It Earlier!

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When Destiny Meets Lousy Luck, Know It Earlier!
  • Author(s)

    Hung-Cheng Lai
  • Biography

    Dr. Lai is a professor of Taipei Medical University. He is a gynecologic oncologist and leads a team for translational epigenetic research. He developed a TFDA-approved DNA methylation test (Cervi-M®) for cervical cancer screening. Recently, MPap® has provided a novel method for endometrial cancer detection. He co-founded a startup, Guzip Biomarker Inc.

  • Academy/University/Organization

    Taipei Medical University
  • Source

    Clinical Cancer Research: DOI: 10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-16-0863 Published January 2017
    http://clincancerres.aacrjournals.org/content/23/1/263.long
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    You are free to share this article under the Attribution 4.0 International license

Diseases are a part of life. Getting sick is a normal process when aging. We are born with genes given by our parents. However, the secret of life does not rely solely on this original version. When destiny meets back luck, again and again, nurture effects become relics on genes. This revised version of the life book may end up with sickness like cancers. If diseases like cancer are inevitable, knowing them earlier rather than too late is the key to a happier life.  

The interaction between genes and the environment is a driving force for chronic diseases. Environmental relics on genetics, termed epigenetics, become a hallmark of many diseases. A widely studied example is a kind of methylation molecule added to DNA sequences. The idea of molecular cancer screening using novel genes with more DNA methylation (hypermethylation) as surrogate markers is appealing. We developed a panel of DNA methylation markers, which can identify women with a high risk of uterine cancers. There are no ways of screening now. This invention has great promise for reducing invasive procedures and will change clinical practice.  

Our translational epigenetic research using women cancers as a model proves the clinical success of this biological concept. More secrets of the intertwining destiny and back luck in many diseases are coming. Think about if something is inevitable and you can know it earlier, how different life will be. 


Diseases are a part of life. Getting sick is a normal process when aging. Prevention may be helpful, but no one is completely immune to diseases. We are born with genes given by our parents. However, the secret of life does not rely solely on this original version. When destiny meets back luck, again and again, nurture effects become relics on genes. This revised version of the life book may end up with sickness like cancers. If diseases like cancer are inevitable, knowing about them earlier rather than too late is the key to a happier life.  

The interaction between genes and environment is a driving force for chronic diseases. Environmental relics on genetics, termed epigenetics, become a hallmark of many diseases. The knowledge of epigenetics coupled with technology development empowers us to discover markers down the roads to cancers, which we may use for earlier or easier cancer detection. A widely studied example is a kind of methylation molecule added to DNA sequences, which mostly shoots down the expression of genes and leads to the dysregulation of normal cell functions. The technology of whole-genome DNA methylation analysis provides us with an unprecedented opportunity to understand the relics relating to cancers.  
 
The idea of molecular cancer screening using novel genes with more DNA methylation (hypermethylation) as surrogate markers is appealing. The genome-wide analysis may result in many candidates, which have to be verified one by one by different methods. Once the candidate list is narrowed down to limited genes, more validations using human materials are needed to test the potential of clinical applications. The testing process has to be optimized, and the kit has to be manufactured by a clinical-grade standard rather than a research use one. The advantage of a clinician-scientist provides a pivotal role in integrating research and clinical settings.    
 
By this principle, we developed a panel of DNA methylation markers which can identify women with a high risk of uterine cancers. The incidence and mortality rate of uterine cancer has been on the rise for years. There are no ways of screening now. The diagnostic methods are all invasive procedures putting women at surgical and anesthetic risks. The testing can be done using left-over materials from conventional cytology smears for cervical cancer screening. This invention has great promise for reducing most invasive procedures and will change clinical practice.  
 
Our translational epigenetic research using women cancers as a model proves the clinical success of this biological concept. More secrets of the intertwining destiny and back luck in may diseases are coming.  Think about if something is inevitable, and you can know about it earlier, how different life will be. 

 

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