Dna Decoded for Cancer Cure

CThe DNA secrets of two of the deadliest forms of cancer are unveiled by scientists. This could lead to bespoke treatments tailored for individual patients, as well as better detection. This landmark study was conducted by Cambridge University researchers. The researchers charted the thousands of pieces of damage to DNA which turn normal cells into lung or skin cancer. They found more than 23,000 mutations, caused by smoke, in the DNA of lung cancer cells. More damage is found in the DNA of skin cancer cells with more than 33,000 mutations, many triggered by light.

This is the first time when the entire range of defects that cause a cell to be cancerous has been laid forth. Researchers will now look forward on identifying the genetic mutations that are the key drivers that fuel the cancer. This could lead to new drugs and blood tests to pick up the disease in the earliest stages, when it is easiest to cure.

The research was made possible by advances in technology which allow huge strands of genetic material to be analyzed quickly and cheaply. Scientists are now analyzing the DNA of other types of cancers, including breast, liver, brain and ovarian. The Journal Nature reported that the vast majority of the lung cancer mutations contained clear signs of the poisons of cigarette smoke.

It is calculated that if the cancer takes an average of 50 years to develop, every 15 cigarettes bring a smoker one mutation closer to the disease, though the process could happen more quickly, as no one can currently predict when the key driver mutations will occur. Researcher Dr Peter Campbell said, “With every packet of cigarettes you are forming mutations in your lungs. Most of the time, these will land in completely innocent parts and do nothing. But so often it attacks the DNA in the right place.”