New hunt for cancer genes launched

UK and Dutch researchers have launched a major new study to identify human genes involved in cancer. The project, funded by Cancer Research UK and the Netherlands Cancer Institute, aims to look at 10,000 of the estimated 35,000 different genes that make up the human genome.

Using a powerful new technique called RNAi (ribonucleic acid interference), the scientists plan to switch off individual genes to study the resulting effect on human cells. RNAi, a natural process first identified in the nematode worm, involves using specific RNA molecules to switch off a single gene whilst leaving others untouched. The new study also aims to look at cancerous cells to identify those that revert back to normal when a particular gene is switched off.

'This project will help move forward the frontiers of medical science, from knowing the sequences of DNA that make up our genome, to knowing how these sequences work together to form a functional human being' said Dr Julian Downward, principal scientist at the Cancer Research UK London Institute. The project will initially look at 300 genes, followed by another 8000 or so, and may eventually cover the entire human genome.