Study characterizes proteins resulting from RAS gene mutations, found in more than 20 percent of all human cancers

When a RAS gene operates normally, it acts as an on/off switch for cell signaling to control cell proliferation. But when the gene mutates, the switch jams into the “on” position, allowing cells to proliferate uncontrollably. This unstoppable cascade inevitably leads to cancer. “The mutation in the gene is very common in pancreatic and colon cancer,” said Neil Kelleher, the […]

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New paper suggests that tumor cells may develop resistance to potential Ras inhibitors

Researchers have long sought a treatment aimed specifically at the Ras family of genes, the most common oncogenes and those that initiate many of the most lethal tumours. However, the results of a hypothetical treatment may be far less positive than speculated, according to a manuscript published in Genes & Development by the Genomic Instability Group at the Spanish National […]

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