Neurofibromatosis discovery also may apply to cancer

AORN Journal,  Jan, 2007  

• E-mail
• Print
• Link

Researchers have identified a molecular "brake" that could inhibit the growth of cells in neurofibromatosis 1 and possibly other tumors, according to a June 22, 2006, news release from Duke University Medical Center News, Durham, NC. Neurofibromatosis 1 is a hereditary condition that occurs once in every 3,500 births and results in multiple growths on of under the skin, usually along nerve fibers. Tumors resulting from this condition can become large and disfiguring and also can develop in the brain and on the spinal cord.

The brake appears to be a protein that stops the cascade of molecular events leading to activation of the Ras oncogene (ie, a cancer-producing gene implicated in more than half of all human cancers), which results in tumors if unchecked. The brake was identified in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The process of activation is the same in yeast as it is in humans. By identifying these necessary steps in the oncogene-activation process, researchers hope to develop new medications or therapies to prevent neurofibromatosis and other tumors.

Molecular "Brake" Found for Neurofibromatosis 1 [news release]. Durham, NQ Duke University Medical Center News; June 22, 2006.

COPYRIGHT 2007 Association of Operating Room Nurses, Inc.
COPYRIGHT 2008 Gale, Cengage Learning