BRCA Foundation introduces The BRCA Journal, a unique, biweekly blog tackling various topics related to hereditary cancer policy, research, care and counseling.
Through the journal, we will dissect the cancer moonshot initiative, explore what scientists do all day, what ‘big data’ and ‘precision medicine’ really mean, and take you on a journey of what happens during genetic testing, to name a few topics. These informative and engaging posts serve as an approachable resource for patient advocates, survivors, “previvors”, and others who are interested in cancer research and policy, generally. You can access the Journal through our website or using RSS reader apps, such as, Feedly, Flipboard, and Panda. Read the first posts here and start a dialogue by commenting on and sharing them. Happy reading!
journal entry
Oct 03
2018
Closing The Health Disparity Gap
The field of genetics is rapidly expanding and becoming a centerpiece of the modern healthcare experience. Hereditary cancer genes, like BRCA1 and BRCA2, are now household terms, thanks to considerable efforts to raise awareness. Unfortunately, most of the data available to help interpret testing for these and other genes comes almost exclusively from Caucasian individuals of European ancestry. Why? What problems does this cause? And how can things change? read more
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Sep 19
2018
The Best Test for You: Navigating At-Home BRCA Testing
My name is Dena Goldberg and I'm a genetic counselor at the University of California, San Francisco, who specializes in cancer genetics. I see patients and their relatives with a personal or family history of cancer, tumors, or polyps, and use their history to determine the most appropriate genetic test. read more
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Sep 05
2018
Looking Toward the Future of Cancer Treatment with Dr. Allison Kurian
Over the course of my BRCA Journal posts, I have highlighted emerging technologies and highly tailored therapeutics. These exciting innovations have the potential to change the way cancer is studied and treated. While they advance the trend of personalized medicine, they currently only benefit a small portion of cancer patients. read more
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Aug 22
2018
How the CRISPR Craze will Change Cancer Treatment
In my final few posts, I will focus on the future of cancer treatment. Over the course of my series of posts, I discussed what scientists have learned about the genetic basis of disease, how these findings have led to the development of targeted therapies, and how the sequencing revolution has enabled the personalization of these therapies. read more
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Aug 08
2018
How the DNA Sequencing Revolution is Personalizing Medicine
Many of the topics I have discussed in my posts have mentioned using DNA sequencing to both distinguish cancers and curate treatments. While interpretations of data obtained from DNA sequencing are often highlighted in the news, the methods behind how this process works and is analyzed can be a mystery to non-scientists. read more
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Jul 25
2018
A Breakdown of the Successful Treatment of One Patient’s Breast Cancer by Adoptive Cell Therapy
Over the previous two articles, I explained how different types of immunotherapies target and kill cancers. While a variety of these therapies utilize the homing proteins, antibodies, and antigen receptors our bodies create naturally, they use different mechanisms to target and eliminate cancer. read more
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Jul 11
2018
CAR T Cell Therapy: Engineering the Immune System to Fight Cancer
This article will explore a revolutionary new type of immunotherapy that takes advantage of our adaptive immune system to fight cancer, called CAR T cell therapy. The adaptive immune system, similar to Navy SEAL special forces, takes time to train and mount highly specialized attacks against pathogens in our bodies. read more
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Jun 27
2018
Immunotherapy: Harnessing the Power of our own Cells to Treat Cancer
Throughout my first few articles, beginning April 11, I discussed how alterations at the DNA level can at times cause cells to evade normal regulation, as well as their own death, and become cancerous. Scientists, however, have learned how to exploit some of these genetic differences in order to develop cancer therapies such as PARP inhibitors. read more
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Jun 06
2018
Genetic Testing: A Breakdown of One Study Examining Clinical Decision-Making
The BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes are the two most commonly mutated and prominent genes linked to breast cancer susceptibility. Strong links between specific mutations and increased risk for the development of breast cancer have made BRCA1 and BRCA2 ideal targets for genetic testing. read more
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May 24
2018
Studying How BRCA2 Reversion Mutations Arise in PARPi Resistant Prostate Cancer
The names of the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes indicate their importance in the development of breast cancer. While women with mutations in either the BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes are at highest risk for breast cancer, other types of cancers also arise as a result of these mutations. read more
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May 09
2018
The Power of PARP Inhibition
"The cure for cancer" has long been a hot topic in science, politics and the media. It is one of those phrases, however, that as a scientist frustrates me because cancer is not just one disease. The recent pushes toward precision medicine and to understand the diverse landscape of cancers have reinforced this idea that every cancer is unique. read more
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Apr 25
2018
BRCA: Bracing the Genome
Happy DNA Day! Celebrated on April 25th, DNA Day commemorates both the discovery of the structure of DNA in 1953 and the completion of the Human Genome Project in 2003. Since its designation in 2003, DNA Day has been used to increase public understanding of DNA and the scientific advances that have been made as a result of these two events. read more
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Apr 11
2018
The Double-Edged Sword of Mutation
Mutations in DNA are natural occurrences which can lead to diseases, sometimes have no effect on a person’s health, at all, or even result in advantageous traits. Mutations arise as a part of DNA replication and cell division, and have lead to evolution and diversification of organisms over billions of years. read more
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Mar 28
2018
The Broken Genetic Landscape of BRCA Tumors
The BRCA Journal is pleased to announce the launch of its "Innovative Guest" series. We will feature stories from our Young Investigator Awardees, genetic counselors, and leaders in the field of BRCA research and outreach. Our awardees will discuss their very own cutting-edge research that aims to prevent, diagnose, and cure BRCA cancers as early as possible. read more
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Mar 14
2018
How Will "All of Us" Manage and Secure the Health Data of One Million Participants?
"Please step back behind the sign," said the receptionist at the doctor’s office. Another person was being helped and I waited, obliviously, a bit too close behind her. I mumbled an apology and stepped back. Sure enough, there was a sign that read, "For the privacy of the patient ahead of you, please wait here." read more
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Feb 28
2018
How Can Our Data Keep Us Healthy?
"How do you envision a patient’s visit to a doctor in the future?" was my final question. I was interviewing Evan Goldberg, founder of the BRCA Foundation and a Silicon-Valley-big-data-guy, about the role of big data in cancer research and care. Doing phone interviews is something I never felt comfortable with. I was nervous but prepared, or so I thought. My questions were thoughtfully answered and the voice recorder application on my phone was turned on. read more
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Feb 14
2018
How "All of Us" Can Contribute to Precision Medicine
"What do you think of precision medicine?" my interviewer asked, as I stared blankly and nervously, not knowing what to answer. I’d never heard that term before. That was in 2015, at my first interview for a postdoctoral research position in the field of lung cancer. Squirming, I asked, "What do you mean by precision medicine?" read more
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Jan 31
2018
Silver Linings for BRCA Mutation Carriers
When I started listening to the BRCA Foundation’s Positive Perspectives podcast series and reading about BRCA mutations and cancer, I was overwhelmed with emotions. On one hand, the facts and statistics are daunting and worrisome; three in five women with BRCA mutations will develop breast cancer in their lifetime, compared to one in eight for the general population. read more
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Jan 17
2018
Genetic Discrimination and the Paradox of Wellness Programs
Advances in genetic testing have made knowledge of our risks for hereditary cancers more accessible and empowered us to be proactive about our healthcare. Genetic information such as whether one carries the BRCA mutation, however, can make us vulnerable to discrimination. Remarkably, it has been more than 10 years since the US government acknowledged this dilemma. read more
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Jan 03
2018
Why Is It Taking So Long?
"All this money spent and they still don’t have a cure for cancer!” I heard the man sitting near me on Muni exclaim to his friend. I had just run out of my lab after starting an exciting new experiment and was looking forward to returning and continuing with the next step. But his comment made me feel both defeated and defensive. read more
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Dec 20
2017
How to Shoot for the Moon
Whatever did happen to the Cancer Moonshot Initiative?! This initiative was meant to accelerate cancer research and help scientists and clinicians make ten years’ worth of progress toward a cure in only five. But it recently occurred to me I didn’t really know much else about it or what happened after President Obama introduced it during his last State of the Union address two years ago. read more