 Why do some people get cancer and not others? It might have to do with something that's within us. Australian cancer researchers have discovered the role played by circular RNA in causing cancer. These are a recently discovered family of genetic fragments present within our cells. The study, published in Cancer Cell, explains how specific circular RNAs within many of us can stick to the DNA in our cells and cause mutations which result in cancer. 'While environmental and genetic factors have long been believed the major contributors to cancer, this revolutionary finding – which we call 'ER3D' [endogenous RNA directed DNA damage] – ushers in an entirely new area of medical and molecular biology research,' said Professor Simon Conn, one of the authors of the study. 'This is the first example of a genetic molecule present within many of us which has the capacity to mutate our very own DNA and drive cancer from inside.' These molecules could be the new therapeutic targets and markers of disease at a very early stage, when the likelihood of curing cancers is much higher. Researchers compared the neonatal blood tests of babies who went on to develop acute leukemia as infants with children without any blood disorders. They found that one specific circular RNA was present at much higher levels at birth, prior to onset of the symptoms of leukemia. Australian cancer researchers have made an important new connection between a person's cancer risk and the functions of circular RNAs (Picture: Unsplash) The findings suggest it is the abundance of the circular RNA molecules within certain individuals' cells which is a major determinant for why they develop these specific cancer-causing genes or oncogenes and others do not. 'Circular RNAs can bind to DNA at many different locations across a range of cells. By binding to the DNA at specific sites, these circular RNAs cause){kind=link}
NEWS… BUT NOT AS YOU KNOW IT
Why do some people get cancer and not others? It might have to do with something that’s within us.
Australian cancer researchers have discovered the role played by circular RNA in causing cancer. These are a recently discovered family of genetic fragments present within our cells.
The study, published in Cancer Cell, explains how specific circular RNAs within many of us can stick to the DNA in our cells and cause mutations which result in cancer.
‘While environmental and genetic factors have long been believed the major contributors to cancer, this revolutionary finding – which we call ‘ER3D’ [endogenous RNA directed DNA damage] – ushers in an entirely new area of medical and molecular biology research,’ said Professor Simon Conn, one of the authors of the study.