Monday, April 6, 2015

Stopping Cancer Gene Replication

           Glioblastoma is the most common cancer of the brain that as of now is incurable.  There are many kinds of treatments for Glioblastoma but they are temporary because the cancer is likely to come back.  Treatments being used today are primarily chemotherapy and radiation which damage DNA to stop replication of cancer cells.  Even with the current method of treatments, patients typically live about 14-16 months and treatments.  A new method, currently being tested on mice, focuses on stopping the source of the DNA that creates cancer.  This new found method introduces a small RNA molecule, named miR-182, which is found to be a tumor suppressor and reduces the expression of genes that promote cancer.  If this method could become a primary treatment option for glioblastoma, it would allow for actual cures of the cancer.  The RNA molecule miR-182 may also have opportunities to assist and cure other cancers, but more research is required.  

Figure 1: RNA molecule miR-182

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