The use of molecular and genomic analysis of a cancer as a means to define a patient-specific treatment is interchangeably referred to as Precision Medicine, Personalized Medicine, or Genomically-directed medicine (herein, collectively PMED). In the foregoing commentary we have focused on PMED approaches related to treatment selection and do not prioritize the development of novel molecular assays used to guide patient diagnostics or prognostication. 

Expansion of Circulating Tumor Cells (CTC), the metastatic seeds of cancer in the blood stream, holds great potential in clinical application, especially towards precision medicine. Given the relatively rare nature of CTCs, their culture remains to be a significant challenge. When developing technologies for CTC culture, there are key elements that need careful consideration, including the speed of culture, compatibility with downstream analysis, and the implementation of the technology into established clinical daily routines. Herein, we briefly discuss the implications of our recent report of an ultrathin filter for the capture and culture of circulating colon cancer cells.

Multiple myeloma (MM), the second most common hematologic malignancy, is a plasma cell neoplasm that arises from a precursor, monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS), which may or may not be previously diagnosed. Smoldering multiple myeloma (SMM), another precursor of MM, lacks myeloma-defining events and end-organ damage that are diagnostic of MM in the appropriate clinical settings. Newly diagnosed MM (NDMM) is highly heterogeneous genetically and clinically with very variable survival outcomes ranging from a few months to over a decade.

Background: Liver fibrosis arises from chronic hepatic injury and involves the accumulation of extracellular matrix proteins. Fibrosis progression ultimately leads to cirrhosis, characterized by architectural distortion and complications. Molecular profiling has identified prognostic transcriptomic subtypes, but management remains limited for advanced disease. Methods: We conducted a systematic review of the literature to identify recent advances in characterizing liver cirrhosis subtypes and emerging therapies.

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) remains a formidable challenge in neuroscience, with its complex pathology still lacking an effective cure. Recent research has highlighted the critical role of epigenetic regulation in AD, demonstrating how environmental factors and genetic predispositions influence disease progression at a molecular level. This commentary examines key advancements in AD-related epigenetic research, with a particular focus on histone deacetylases (HDACs) and adrenergic signaling-two mechanisms that have emerged as promising therapeutic targets for mitigating AD symptoms and slowing neurodegeneration.