Congratulations to Dr. Donald Johann, Associate Professor of Biomedical Informatics and Internal Medicine, who is among the national leaders from academia, industry, the National Institutes of Health and the Food and Drug Administration to co-author an important new paper in the high-impact journal Genome Biology. The paper concerns the establishment of a new genomic reference sample to be used in creating advanced Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) assays for small to large oncopanels and liquid biopsies. Studies focusing on this aspect of translational science don’t tend to grab headlines, but they are foundational to valid testing and the future benefit of cancer patients.
UAMS is involved in national efforts to bring liquid biopsy and other types of advanced NGS assays to the clinic for our patients – and this work is important in our efforts to achieve National Cancer Institute (NCI) designation.