(December 10, 2014) OCRF Ann Schreiber Mentored Investigator Award Grantee, Pradeep Chaluvally-Raghavan, Ph.D., and other researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center believe they may have found a molecule-based approach to halting the destructive nature of a genetic misfire called the 3q26.2 amplicon. The research was funded in part by a grant from OCRF.
An amplicon is a piece of DNA or RNA that is the source and/or product of natural or artificial amplification or replication events, and 3q26.2 is among the most frequent chromosomal aberrations seen in many cancers, including ovarian and breast cancers. By manipulating a non-coding microRNA known as miR569 that is part of the amplicon, scientists were able to increase cell death in vitro and in vivo. This discovery represents underexplored targets of genetic aberrations and an emerging therapeutic approach.
To read the study abstract, click here.
