The ovarian cancer oncobiome.

Humans and other mammals are colonized by microbial agents across the kingdom which can represent a unique microbiome pattern. Dysbiosis of the microbiome has been associated with pathology including cancer. We have identified a microbiome signature unique to ovarian cancers, one of the most lethal malignancies of the female reproductive system, primarily because of its asymptomatic nature during the early stages in development. We screened ovarian cancer samples along with matched, and non-matched control samples using our pan-pathogen array (PathoChip), combined with capture-next generation sequencing. The results show a distinct group of viral, bacterial, fungal and parasitic signatures of high significance in ovarian cases. Further analysis shows specific viral integration sites within the host genome of tumor samples, which may contribute to the carcinogenic process. The ovarian cancer microbiome signature provides insights for the development of targeted therapeutics against ovarian cancers

What is the price of science?

The peer-reviewed scientific literature is the bedrock of science. However, scientific publishing is undergoing dramatic changes, which include the expansion of open access, an increased number of for-profit publication houses, and ready availabil-ity of preprint manuscripts that have not been peer reviewed. In this opinion article, we discuss the inequities and concerns that these changes have wrought. © 2021 Alwine et al.Open access journalThis item from the UA Faculty Publications collection is made available by the University of Arizona with support from the University of Arizona Libraries. If you have questions, please contact us at [email protected]