Answers in days, not weeks: rapid genome reading changed care for about half of children with cancer

When a child has cancer, weeks of waiting for genetic answers can mean weeks of treatment that might not fit. Two new studies — one in Nature Communications from teams including Cedars-Sinai and the University of Cambridge — tested rapid whole-genome sequencing, which reads a child's entire genetic code and returns results in three to seven days instead of the usual three to six weeks. Among 54 children with cancer, the faster answers benefited about half: chemotherapy doses adjusted to a child's metabolism, medicines switched, and in one striking case, treatment withheld because the genetics said it would not help. A companion study in The Lancet Regional Health–Europe used the same technology to find genetic causes of cerebral palsy. The UK is now testing national adoption.

SDG 3 · Good health and well-being — Mechanism: tech innovation