Google algorithm being used to find cancer biomarkers

Researchers at the Dresden University of Technology in Germany have adapted Google's searching algorithm to rank the genetic relevance of 20 000 proteins responsible for pancreatic cancer. This study, published by PLoS Computational Biology, reports on the discovery of seven such proteins "that can help assess how aggressive a patient's tumor is and guide the clinician to decide if that patient should receive chemotherapy or not." While this new biomarker dicovery mechanism is an improvement over previously used diagnostic tools, the researchers caution that further testing, as well as greater cooperation with biotech companies is required before a clinical trial on a pancreatic cancer drug can be run. For further information on this study, click here