Carnegie Mellon builds new algorithm for analyzing the cancer genome

Extra copies of normally paired chromosomes. Variations in chromosome color show where DNA has become rearranged and duplicated within and between chromosomes. A cancer genome can be insanely complicated, making the disease difficult to study and treat. Large chunks of DNA -- including millions of base pairs or even whole chromosomes -- can get yanked from their original locations and moved elsewhere, duplicated or even flipped. But an algorithm, named Weaver, developed by researchers at Carnegie Mellon University, may offer new ways to break down some of that complexity.