NCRI 2017 | Recent developments in DNA sequencing

Analysing biological samples is a key aspect of understanding the nature of a patient’s disease and prescribing the appropriate treatment. In this interview, recorded at the 2017 National Cancer Research Institute (NCRI) Conference, Andrew Beggs, FRCS (Gen), PhD, of the University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK, outlines his lab’s work investigating analytical techniques for studying patient samples. These include being able to analyze formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) samples to comparable levels of detail to fresh samples, identifying circulating tumor (ct)DNA through methylation patterns and determining immunotherapy candidates through genome sequencing.