March 8, 2009 – Research is published in online addition of Nature Genetics
Researchers at the Toronto Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), have discovered a group of 8 genes that are mutated in patients with childhood brain cancer in particular- medulloblastoma (most common childhood cancer). This discovery of genetic mutation is hoped to lead to improved cancer treatments in childhood cancer.
Brain tumours are the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in children. Although, with recent medical advances, up to 60% of patients can now survive. However, the survivors quality of life is generally greatly hindered, with serious physical and neurological disabillities either from the cancer or from the treatment itself.
In a study, led by Dr. Michael Taylor, child neurosurgeon at SickKids, 200 medulloblastomas were analyzed. They discovered that a group of eight mutated genes belong to a specific family that encode for proteins that controll the turning on and off of genes. Specifically, the genes they identified are responsible for turning off growth promoting genes as the brain grows and develops.
The way these genes work, is a protein is produced which causes DNA to wind up tightly. This would normally turn off the growth promoting genes when brain development is completed. In these mutated genes, the growth does not cease and brain cancer results.
“By developing a better understanding of the biology of the mutated genes that drive the formation of medulloblastoma, we hope to be able to design better therapies that will kill tumour cells without having a toxic effect on the developing brain,” says senior author Dr. Michael Taylor.
By Haani Mikalishen
http://www.sickkids.on.ca/AboutSickKids/News-Room/Past-News/2009/genetic-research-news.html
http://www.canada.com/Health/story.html?id=1369879
