TL:DR - oncassist.org
Over the past year, I’ve developed a strong fascination with liquid biopsies. What started as an initial observation in clinic has now evolved into a full-blown passion project.
A liquid biopsy is a tool that analyzes blood and other fluids to aid in the detection and treatment of cancer. These tests are primed to change the way we fight cancer in every phase of the treatment journey, from initial screening to therapy selection and recurrence monitoring after treatment. Technological development has exploded in the past decade, and the recent surge in assay targets, clinical applications, and cancer types covered has created an atmosphere of optimism and urgency for the companies lining up to throw their biomedical hat in the ring. It seems that every month, new companies are emerging to roll out the most cutting-edge test that targets the latest novel biomarker. As a California kid and a lover of history, I can’t help but draw comparisons to the ’49 Gold Rush. In today’s landscape oncologic gold is largely genetic, and this race is no different.
I’m excited to share the initial fruit of this project: oncassist.org. OncAssist is a public database for liquid biopsy development and contains information I’ve put together from research that remains ongoing. The general aim in creating this site is to 1) Aggregate liquid biopsy information on a public (and with growth, eventually open-source) site and 2) Package this information in a manner that is digestible to anyone with an interest. The site is in its infancy, and will have additional data and explanations added on with periodic updates. A big thanks to Jason D. for his help with initial setup and continued support.
Beyond my interest in liquid biopsy tech, oncassist.org represents a personal narrative that I believe speaks to the future we will all soon occupy. I am not someone with a coding background, and I was not particularly thrilled at the idea of spending hours developing a deep understanding of the many systems incorporated under the umbrella of website development (TypeScript, React, GitHub, etc.). Prompt engineering through Chat GPT enabled me to largely sidestep technical understanding of these systems by instructing AI to generate additions to my code and troubleshooting subsequent incorporation. Is this method perfectly efficient? Of course not. The point here, looking beyond the duct-taped code and lack of front-end aesthetics, is that it works - AI opened the door for me to conceptualize and execute a website design and ongoing updates with minimal technical expertise. The barrier to entry for these types of projects continues to decrease every single day with ongoing updates and advances in tech.
Check out the site and let me know what you think! Feedback is always a gift.
Journalistin, u.a Stern, Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung, Hörzu Gesundheit
4moDas ist ja wirklich sensationell, gratuliere ☺️👍🍀