Friday 11th November 2011
Scots’ researchers gene breakthrough in skin cancer fight
The Express
Scottish scientists have made a breakthrough in the battle against a deadly skin cancer after pinpointing the gene that causes the disease.
Researchers from the University of Dundee have identified the two genes that mutate to cause three-quarters of all cases of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC).
They now hope their discovery can be harnessed to develop ways of battling the condition, which affects around 100,000 people every year across the UK.
The research, carried out alongside experts from Harvard University in California, identified genes known as “NOTCH”, which are mutated in a significant number of cSCC and lung cancer cases.