Bioinformatics and epigenetics - computer-aided cancer diagnosis - medical press

The relatively young research field of epigenetics is the talk of the town. Many scientists expect the research on biochemical modifications beyond the actual DNA strand to lead to huge progress in the understanding of the regulation of gene activity in the years to come. Just how promising the results of epigenetic research are in terms of concrete medical applications is demonstrated by the work of Thomas Lengauer and Christoph Bock from the Max Planck Institute for Informatics in Saarbrücken. With the help of computers, they trawl through the genomes of cancer patients in search for suspect structures, and develop fast and simple new tools for improving cancer diagnosis in hospitals.


"Although Thomas Lengauer regards epigenome analysis as playing a crucial role in the attainment of rapid progress in cancer diagnosis in the near future, he plays down expectations with regard to the development of new drugs. “Many scientists point to the potential of future drugs that can repair defects in the epigenome of diseased cells. I tend to be more cautious in this regard. Such targeted interventions involve significant risks, not least because little or nothing is currently known about the highly-complex gene regulation mechanisms being manipulated here.”"