Malaga takes step forward in fight against cancer

MALAGA has taken a big step forward in the fight against cancer.

The Oncology Research Association of Malaga (AIOM) presented the first sequencer bought in Andalusia which will make it possible for doctors to develop treatments especially tailored to the needs of every cancer patient they treat.

The state-of-the-art equipment cost €100,000 and was bought thanks to contributions made by Malaga council and Malaga University (UMA).

It could be operational by January 2015 and was presented in an official ceremony held at the City Hall attended by Mayor Francisco de la Torre, President of the Regional Government Elias Bendodo, Health Councillor Daniel Perez, Deputy UMA Rector Maria Valpuerta, Oncologist Emilio Alba and AIOM President Pedro Luis Gomez.

It is estimated that 7,000 new cancer cases are diagnosed in Malaga every year and that some of them could be analysed with the sequencer.

AIOM plans to soon buy a third-generation sequencer, which would make it possible for doctors to create individual treatments for patients suffering from a number of conditions.  The sequencer helps ‘profile’ tumours meaning that doctor’s can devise individual programmes tailored for each patient’s exact needs.