I read an article I found on the Scientific
American website. The article was called, “One Test May Spot Cancer,
Infections, Diabetes, and More”. In this article I learned that a man named,
Kun Zhang believes that one day by taking one blood sample we will be able to
see all the issues that are going on in the body. That patience’s will no
longer have to suffer the pains and expensive of intrusive surgeries.
In 2011 a new blood
test was released to test a pregnant women’s fetal bloodstream to determine if their
child will have Down’s Syndrome or other genetic conditions. This might someday
fully replace ultrasound plus blood analysis.
Another theory
called, liquid biopsies have been releases only 3 years ago. This is where the
blood is tested to analyze the tumors genetic makeup or look at evidence of cancer
reoccurring in the patience. This is done by looking at the spread of the
tumor. When the tumor spreads it spills a little DNA into the blood. Making it
easier to identify from the normal DNA. This practices have not yet been picked
up by all routine care but is well funded and will continue research.
I chose this article
because I am very interested in the new sciences. I believe that through
research and testing we will be able to achieve a higher understanding of how
to use new technology and gain more knowledge in healthcare. By doing this we need
to ask the right questions and test the right things. With these test it is
just the beginning. One day there will be easier more efficient ways to save
lives and prevent infection. I think especially only being an 18 I will be able
to see many discovers as I age. The discovers will be life changing and I think
it needs to be shared so more people think “what if” and start changing the way
we look at things.
Resource:
McGowan, Kat. “One
Test May Spot Cancer, Infections,
Diabetes and More.” Scientific American, 5 Sept.
2017,
www.scientificamerican.com/article/one-test-may-spot-cancer-infections-diabetes-and-more/.
Accessed 13 Sept. 2017.
I wonder how intensive the diagnosis could be, and how many disorders could be checked using one blood sample? I'm not sure how the process for lab testing works, but if there is a way that you could check for anything from cancer to genetic disorders in one yearly checkup, this could drastically impact the ability to treat time-sensitive diseases soon enough to decrease negative effects or mortality rates associated. I don't know if anyone knows how long it takes or what goes into running tests for a blood sample, but would it make the process too long/complicated to be checking for so many variables at once, regardless of symptoms? Obviously if it doesn't complicate the system too much, this is a wonderful way to make check-ups and diagnosis more efficient, so this ability could be very important to pursue.-GW
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