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BRCA1 Doesn't Act Alone

Aug 20, 2008

A paper in PNAS this week looks at how mutations in genes associated with breast cancer affect BRCA1, a tumor suppressor gene that when mutated leads to breast, ovarian, and prostate cancers. Analyzing data from NCI's CGEMS project on 18 breast cancer-related genes, statisticians from Columbia and Harvard found that there are "many interesting interactions" between BRCA1 and other genes, suggesting that mutations in these genes maybe predispose people to cancer even if they don't carry usual BRCA1 mutations known to cause cancer.

Breaking News
The Scan

Pig Organ Transplants Considered

The Wall Street Journal reports that the US Food and Drug Administration may soon allow clinical trials that involve transplanting pig organs into humans.

'Poo-Bank' Proposal

Harvard Medical School researchers suggest people should bank stool samples when they are young to transplant when they later develop age-related diseases.

Spurred to Develop Again

New Scientist reports that researchers may have uncovered why about 60 percent of in vitro fertilization embryos stop developing.

Science Papers Examine Breast Milk Cell Populations, Cerebral Cortex Cellular Diversity, Micronesia Population History

In Science this week: unique cell populations found within breast milk, 100 transcriptionally distinct cell populations uncovered in the cerebral cortex, and more.