A new development in the analysis of cancer has been announced by Agilent Technologies. The company has reported an innovative method that enables the rapid advance of microarray-based comparative genomic studies in cancer. According to the report published in the December 24, 2004 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science (PNAS) in collaboration with the National Human Genome Research Institute, Agilent has developed a specialised microarray platform that uses total genomic DNA to overcome several scientific hurdles that previously impeded comparative genomic studies in cancer.

Researchers at Duke University Medical Center have demonstrated for the first time what happens inside a cell when it is deprived of the essential nutrient iron. Iron is found abundantly in red meats, shellfish dried fruits, whole grains, spinach, seeds and other foods. Their study in yeast cells demonstrated that iron-starved cells preserve the little iron they possess by shutting down the major iron users in order to maintain the cell's essential functions, said Dennis J. Thiele, Ph.D., professor of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology at Duke. He said their discovery could aid in the diagnosis and ultimately the treatment of serious disorders caused by low iron levels. Results of his study, funded by the National Institutes of Health, are published in the Jan. 14, 2005, issue of the journal Cell.