If your cancer is HER2 positive, you may also be given a targeted therapy to attack the protein that's overproduced in these cancers.

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Dr. Topol focuses much of his attention on the development of "theranostics, " or the integrated use of treatments and diagnostics (especially genomic and protein information) to better guide therapy.

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It is working on better protein-based drugs, gene therapy, industrial enzymes, and ag-biotech.

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Among other colossal ambitions, he wants to revitalize the troubled field of gene therapy, make dozens of inexpensive protein drugs and produce better genetically engineered crops that will benefit consumers, not just farmers.

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Another immune-boosting therapy against cancer, the natural immune system protein interleukin-2, has been limited by severe side effects.

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Soy protein, a fixture of Asian diets, has been considered a possible alternative to hormone therapy for years, ever since researchers observed that women in Asia tend to have lower rates of bone loss and osteoporosis than their counterparts in the West.

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Sharpening its efficacy, the gene therapy is not activated until a patient takes a pill, controlling how much of the protein is released at what time.

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