Source: Queen Mary, University of London
Date: 9 November 2010
Summary:
A gene thought to be responsible for initiating human cancer has been identified by researchers at Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry. The study - published online today (9 November) in the journal Cancer Research - paves the way for developing early cancer diagnostic tests, and finding new treatments that prevent or stop the spread of cancer cells at an early stage.
Researchers have shown that a gene called FOXM1 exploits the inherent self-renewal property of stem cells causing excessive cell proliferation. Using adult human stem cells isolated from mouth tissues the team demonstrated that normal stem cells engineered in the lab to express abnormal levels of FOXM1 gene, triggered excessive cell growth within a 3D tissue culture model system set up to mimic human tissue regeneration in the laboratory.
