Altering The Fingerprint Of Cancer

[Guest guest]

Altering the Fingerprint of Cancer An interesting article on

improved screening methods being used to discover potential new

cancer treatments.

Research from MIT/Harvard

About the Broad Institute

" The Institute is a research collaboration involving faculty,

professional staff and students from throughout the MIT and Harvard

academic and medical communities and is governed jointly by the two

universities. "

Excerpt

" It has become clear over the past few decades that cancer is a

genetic disease, with vast combinations of gene mutations,

translocations, additions, and deletions contributing to the diverse

cancers that afflict humans. Given this knowledge, a sea change is

brewing in the search for new cancer treatments. In the past, the

guiding principle behind most cancer drugs was to poison rapidly

dividing cells, which include tumor cells but also healthy cells too.

Now, rather than searching for cytotoxic therapies that kill cells

somewhat indiscriminately, researchers are taking cues from the

forensic practice of fingerprinting in the quest for therapies that

target cancers by their distinct molecular properties. Empowered by

new genomic tools and the ability to analyze collections

or " libraries " of chemicals in high capacity, we are now working to

identify novel, more effective drugs for previously intractable

cancers. We are doing this by taking advantage of cancers' unique

patterns of gene expression, known as genetic signatures. "

Full Article at link

Spotlight: Altering the fingerprint of cancer

www.broad.mit.edu/cgi-bin/news/display_n...