Once a month. A Starbucks gift card. From us to you.
Each month we present one to three new technologies with potential legal implications and ask:
What’s YOUR answer?
One $25 Starbucks gift card card awarded per challenge based on what we feel is the most judicious response to any one of the discussed technologies. Click on “Leave a reply” to post your answer(s). Deadline to be eligible for this month’s Starbucks gift card is February 28, 2014.
By identifying and sequencing the abnormal DNA released into a person’s bloodstream by a tumor, scientists are hoping to establish a universal cancer test. While the process is, at this time, not sensitive enough to detect early-stage cancers the goal is to eventually refine the test to detect tumors that are easily discovered and treated early on. The reported study revealed that “the portion of DNA in the cancer patients’ blood that came from tumors ranged from 47.9% to as low as 1.4%. The test might have to work on blood samples with less than 0.1% tumor DNA to detect small, curable tumors.” With further refinement, to discover tumors that are otherwise undetectable, it may evolve into a very useful technology. The technique is intended to produce additional benefits including being able to determine whether a tumor is responding to treatment or to decide what drug a patient should receive without the need for a biopsy. Read the details here and then provide us with your thoughts regarding the potential legal implications of this innovative technology.
