Innovators Under 35
INNOVATIVE Visionaries
Broad
Institute
Working to improve cancer diagnosis and
treatment.
In his lab at the
Broad Institute in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Viktor Adalsteinsson has put an
automated system in place that scans blood samples for traces of tumor DNA—a
so-called liquid biopsy. Collecting genetic information on advanced cancers
might lead to clues about what drives the disease in later stages and what
drugs to give patients. Adalsteinsson, whose mother succumbed to breast cancer
while he was earning his PhD, is now looking to improve treatment as part of
several projects, including one that sends blood collection tubes to women
fighting breast cancer across America. “The doctors and patients cross their
fingers and there’s a lot of watching and waiting,” says Adalsteinsson. “Now we
can closely monitor patients’ responses to therapy and see what’s causing
treatments to fail.”
—Antonio Regalado
—Antonio Regalado
MIT TECHNOLOGY REVIEW
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