A cloud-based precision oncology framework for whole genome sequence analysis.

Cancer is one of the wide-ranging diseases which have a high mortality rate impacting globally. This scenario can be switched by early detection and correct precision treatment, a major concern for cancer patients. Clinicians can figure out the best-suited treatments for cancer patients by analyzing the patient's genome, which will treat the patient well and minimize the chances of side effects as well. Therefore, we have developed a fast, robust, and efficient solution as our precision oncology framework based on the whole genome sequencing of the individual's DNA. This platform can perform the entire genomic analysis, starting from the quality assessment of the input file to the variant annotation and functional prediction, followed by a certain level of interpretation. This analysis helps in the molecular profiling of the tumors for the identification of the targetable alterations. It takes in FASTQ or BAM file as an input and provides us with two output reports: a primary report, which consists of the patients' details, a summary of the analysis, and a secondary report, which is an elaborated report comprised of numerous results obtained from the analysis such as base changes, codon changes, amino acid changes, TMB analysis, MSI analysis, the variant frequency with its effects and impacts, affected biomarkers, etc. This framework can be effectively utilized for cancer treatment guidance, identification and validation of novel biomarkers, oncology research & development, genomic analysis, and gene manipulation.

Advancements in Hydrogel-Functionalized Immunosensing Platforms.

Explicit antigen-antibody binding has accelerated the development of immunosensors for the detection of various analytes in biomedical and environmental domains. Being a subclass of biosensors, immunosensors have been a significant area of research in attaining high sensitivity and an ultralow sensing limit to detect biological analytes present in trace levels. The highly porous structure, large surface area, and excellent biocompatibility of hydrogels enabling the retainability of the activity and innate framework of the attached biomolecules make them a suitable candidate for immunosensor fabrication. Hydrogels based on polycarboxylate, cellulose, polyaniline, polypyrrole, sodium alginate, chitosan, and agarose are exploited in conjunction with other nanomaterials such as AuNPs, GO, and MWCNTs to augment the electron transfer during the immunosensing mechanism. Surface plasmon resonance, electrochemiluminescence, colorimetric, and electrochemical assays are different strategies utilized for the signal transduction in hydrogel-based immunosensors during the formation of the antigen-antibody complex. These hydrogel-based immunosensors exhibit rapid response, excellent stability, reproducibility, high selectivity and high sensitivity, a broad range of detection, an ultralow limit of detection, and display results similar to those for the ELISA test. This review propounds different hydrogel-functionalized immunosensing platforms classified on the basis of their signal transduction for the detection of disparate cancer biomarkers (tumor necrosis factor, α-fetoprotein, prostate-specific antigen, carbohydrate antigen 24-2, carcinoembryonic antigen, neuron-specific enolase, and cytokeratin antigen 21-1), hormones (cortisol, cortisone, and human chorionic gonadotropin), human IgG, and ractopamine in animal feeds.

Polymeric immunosensors for tumor detection.

Cancer is a broad-spectrum disease which is spread globally, having high mortality rates. This results from genetic, epigenetic and molecular abnormalities caused by various mutations. The main reason behind this critical problem lies in its diagnostics, the late detection of the disease is the root cause of all this. This can be managed well by the timely diagnosis of cancer by means of the tumor biomarkers present in the body fluids such as serum, blood, and urine. These tumor biomarkers are present in normal conditions as well, but their concentrations are altered in the presence of a malignant tumor. Prolonged studies have reported that immunosensors can be used to detect the minimal amount of biomarkers present in the sample and also provides point-of-care detection. The recent investigations demonstrated the use of polymers along with immunosensors for enhancing their selectivity and sensitivity towards the biomarkers and making them even more efficient. This review focuses on the variety of tumor biomarkers, different types of immunosensors and polymeric immunosensors using different polymers like polypyrrole, polyaniline, PHEMA, etc.