DNA Damage in Cancer
Cancer and aging result from DNA damage that occurs because of sunlight, chemicals, ionizing radiation, and oxygen radicals. Fortunately, our cells are able to repair the damage but when the genes involved are not functioning properly, cancer, neurodegeneration, cardiovascular disease, and premature aging can all occur.
Dr. Michael B. Kastan has an informative piece in The Scientist that explains how various DNA-damage response pathways can take part in both causing and treating disease.
Depending on the setting, one could envision clinical benefit arising from either inhibition or augmentation of these pathways. I believe that much of the basic understanding is already in place to begin seriously thinking about how to modulate the activity of these pathways to benefit patients. Such work could place DNA-damage response modulation at the foundation for a set of new therapies and preventive drugs.
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POSTED IN: Genetics of Disease
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