Tracking breast cancer progression using Methylscape
Zhen Zhang, Emtiaz Ahmed, Nicolas Constantin, Jennifer Lu, Stephanie Portelli, David B. Ascher, Darren Korbie, Alain Wuethrich, Abu Ali Ibn Sina, Matt Trau · 2026
Read Tracking breast cancer progression using Methylscape by Zhen Zhang, Emtiaz Ahmed, Nicolas Constantin, Jennifer Lu, Stephanie Portelli, David B. Ascher, Darren Korbie, Alain Wuethrich, Abu Ali Ibn Sina, Matt Trau (2026) in the Tower of Babel, a free online library of public-domain works preserved in clean, searchable text. No sign-up. The full text is served as a plain-text file at a predictable URL, where text is present: https://antarctic-labs.com/tower-of-babel/pmc-13524039.txt.
Description
Zhen Zhang and co-authors show that a DNA methylation pattern can track how breast cancer changes state, in a 2026 paper. Cancer growth is driven in part by chemical marks on DNA that switch genes off or loosen control across the genome. Their earlier work defined a pattern, the Methylscape, in which marked DNA sticks more strongly to gold surfaces.
In a lab model where breast cancer cells shift to a more mobile state, the pattern grew stronger in the shifted cells. That let the method sense fine changes tied to progression. The team also built a cheap, disposable electrode strip to read the pattern. They frame it as a step toward blood-based, real-time tracking of cancer stage.
Catalog record
| CREATOR | Zhen Zhang, Emtiaz Ahmed, Nicolas Constantin, Jennifer Lu, Stephanie Portelli, David B. Ascher, Darren Korbie, Alain Wuethrich, Abu Ali Ibn Sina, Matt Trau |
|---|---|
| YEAR | 2026 |
| COLLECTION | PAPERS |
| FORMAT | TXT |
| FILE SIZE | 55 KB |
| VERSION | 1.0 |
| LICENSE | CC BY 4.0 |
| RIGHTS | CC BY |
| SOURCE | Europe PMC |