Copy number changes point to new cancer genes

[nsane.forums]

With the human genome complete, one of the more prominent follow-up projects has been the cancer genome, in which researchers attempted to study the complete catalog of mutations that are present in different cancers. So far, the results have been pretty mixed, with mutations in a lot of genes we already knew about, and many indications that cancers from different tissues have distinct collections of mutations. All of these are present against a massive background of DNA base changes that might be significant to the disease, or irrelevant. But two new studies indicate that, for large DNA differences, it might be possible to separate out informative changes.

The challenge with studying cancer-causing mutations is that, as part of the progression of the disease, cells tend to accumulate damage to the proteins that keep them dividing in a healthy and controlled fashion. As a result, the pathways that keep cells with DNA damage from dividing tend to get inactivated, so cancer cells pick up many additional mutations, some relevant to the disease, others not. Determining whether a mutation is a contributor to the disease or a harmless passenger has always been challenging.

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[Bizarre™]

I bet it'll take 100 years, probably more, before they can isolate all information that is not related to cancer.

[myidisbb]

I bet it'll take 100 years, probably more, before they can isolate all information that is not related to cancer.

its another wasted money grab since they will start to lose money for the fake global warming studies they have been doing..

all this stuff is nice if we get space crafts that can somehow get to another planet faster then light. ei a portal of somekind

[Sl@pSh0ck™]

I bet it would be near to impossible that they would find a cure for cancer, gene mutation is a never ending process, they would just go in circles but it would never stop.