Test analyzing cells’ ability to fix different kinds of broken DNA could help doctors predict cancer risk.

From the sun, a solution: Cornell University and Weill Cornell Medical College researchers have remodeled an energy-intensive medical test – designed to detect a deadly skin cancer related to HIV infections – to create a quick diagnostic assay perfect for remote regions of the world, according to Scientific Reports (Feb. 20), an online publication of Nature.

A team of researchers at Chalmers University of Technology has found that kidney cancer cells have a quite different metabolism than other types of malignancies. The findings pave the way for new methods of diagnosing kidney cancer at an early stage, a feat that had eluded researchers earlier, and thereby fresh approaches to treatment.

Specific compounds found in exhaled breath may help diagnose lung cancer in its early stages, according to a study released Jan. 28 at the 50th Annual Meeting of The Society of Thoracic Surgeons.

Bioengineers from the University of California, San Diego have created a new method for analyzing RNA transcripts from samples of 50 to 100 cells. The approach could be used to develop inexpensive and rapid methods for diagnosing cancers at early stages, as well as better tools for forensics, drug discovery and developmental biology.