gene expression

A recently published study has revealed for the first time a connection between malignant mesothelioma and the overexpression of a particular genetic protein. In an effort to better understand this particularly deadly form of cancer on a cellular level, a team from the University of California, San Francisco, Comprehensive Cancer Center sought to identify genetic material in mesothelioma cells that occurs at higher levels than the same material does in non-cancerous cells (that is overexpressed). What the scientists discovered could be an important step in developing treatments that target mesothelioma cells in their earliest stages. A strong and consistent clue “In the biological sense, we don’t know why mesothelioma develops or why it’s so aggressive,” says primary investigator Jae Kim,…