According to a US study published in Nature a geneThe basic unit of genetic material carried on chromosomes. has been identified that is linked to 70 % of the hard-to-treat breast cancers i.e. those that are resistantA microbe, such as a type of bacteria, that is able to resist the effects of antibiotics or other drugs. to hormoneA substance produced by a gland in one part of the body and carried by the blood to the organs or tissues where it has an effect. therapies. Many breast cancers are promoted by the presence of certain hormones, which is why the treatments used for these forms of cancer are drugs such as the aromatase inhibitors that interfere with the hormone itself. However, in a third of patients these drugs simply do not work, and therefore the identification of the associated gene (called PHGDH) along with information on how actively it is genetically expressed has potential significance as both a target for therapy and as a diagnostic marker.
The PHGDH gene is involved with the production of the amino acidAn organic compound that is the basic building block of all proteins., serine and is also associated with ‘cellThe basic unit of all living organisms. change’. The authors state that this is still early work, however, they say that the technological advances that is now allowing rapid gene sequencing in target cells is shedding useful light on the apparent causes of these cancers, and therefore potential targets for new treatments.
According to a US study published in Nature a geneThe basic unit of genetic material carried on chromosomes. has been identified that is linked to 70 % of the hard-to-treat breast cancers i.e. those that are resistantA microbe, such as a type of bacteria, that is able to resist the effects of antibiotics or other drugs. to hormoneA substance produced by a gland in one part of the body and carried by the blood to the organs or tissues where it has an effect. therapies. Many breast cancers are promoted by the presence of certain hormones, which is why the treatments used for these forms of cancer are drugs such as the aromatase inhibitors that interfere with the hormone itself. However, in a third of patients these drugs simply do not work, and therefore the identification of the associated gene (called PHGDH) along with information on how actively it is genetically expressed has potential significance as both a target for therapy and as a diagnostic marker.
The PHGDH gene is involved with the production of the amino acidAn organic compound that is the basic building block of all proteins., serine and is also associated with ‘cellThe basic unit of all living organisms. change’. The authors state that this is still early work, however, they say that the technological advances that is now allowing rapid gene sequencing in target cells is shedding useful light on the apparent causes of these cancers, and therefore potential targets for new treatments.