Drug Discovery and Development

  • Home Drug Discovery and Development
  • Drug Discovery
  • Women in Pharma and Biotech
  • Oncology
  • Neurological Disease
  • Infectious Disease
  • Resources
    • Video features
    • Podcast
    • Voices
    • Webinars
  • Pharma 50
    • 2025 Pharma 50
    • 2024 Pharma 50
    • 2023 Pharma 50
    • 2022 Pharma 50
    • 2021 Pharma 50
  • Advertise
  • SUBSCRIBE

Specific Lung Cancer Susceptibility Gene Identified

By Drug Discovery Trends Editor | April 16, 2009

University of Cincinnati (UC) cancer cell biologists have identified a distinct gene linked to increased lung cancer susceptibility and development. They say this gene—known as RGS17—could result in a genetic predisposition to develop lung cancer for people with a strong family history of the disease.
 
With further investigation, they believe the gene could be used to identify high-risk patients who may benefit from earlier, more aggressive lung cancer screening.   
 
‘Understanding how the RGS17 gene impacts cancer development could change clinical diagnosis and treatment as radically as discovery of the breast cancer genes (BRCA1 and BRCA2) did,’ explains Marshall Anderson, PhD, who has led the multi-institutional Genetic Epidemiology of Lung Cancer Consortium (GELCC) studying the genetic basis of lung cancer since 1997. ‘A proven genetic test could help us identify people at risk before the disease progresses.’
 
‘This study represents a significant contribution to our understanding of lung cancer susceptibility and is another step toward to the goal of preventive medicine,’ says David Christiani, MD, MPH, a professor of occupational medicine and environmental health at the Harvard School of Public Health, whose two-page commentary on the study is published in conjunction with the GELCC team’s scientific findings. ‘The authors undertook a daunting challenge of performing a family-based study of lung cancer in an effort to identify specific causal genes.’ 
 
Genes, which are located in fixed positions on the cell’s chromosomes, carry the DNA code that determines inherited characteristics, including a risk of certain diseases.
 
For this study, Anderson and his multi-institutional team collected biological samples from numerous multigenerational families with five or more members who were affected by lung cancer. Through a combination of what is known as ‘fine mapping’—where genetic information is dissected and analyzed—and genetic association studies, researchers identified RGS17 as a major candidate susceptibility gene for familial lung cancers.
 
Research has shown that lung cancer can occur sporadically—where people have no known risk factors or family history—or hereditarily, occurring in multiple members of the same family. In 2004, Anderson’s team reported the first genetic evidence of a major lung cancer ‘susceptibility locus’ on chromosome 6, and evidence of a susceptibility region on three other chromosomes.
 
The region of the original chromosome where the lung cancer markers were found contained about 100 genes, including several genes suspected to be involved in tumor suppression and cell growth.
 
Using a genetically altered mouse model, researchers determined that when RGS17 was suppressed, lung tumors shrank, proving the gene was involved in cancer development and must be present for cancer growth.
 
‘What was most interesting is that this same gene was over-expressed in 60 percent of the samples from non-hereditary lung tumors,’ explains Anderson. ‘This suggests that perhaps epigenetic factors may be contributing to abnormal genetic development.’ 
 
The UC-led team will conduct additional research to investigate how environmental factors may influence familial cancer development.
 
Release Date: April 15, 2009
Source: University of Cincinnati


Filed Under: Genomics/Proteomics

 

Related Articles Read More >

Spatial biology: Transforming our understanding of cellular environments
DNA double helix transforming into bar graphs, blue and gold, crisp focus on each strand, scientific finance theme --ar 5:4 --personalize 3kebfev --v 6.1 Job ID: f40101e1-2e2f-4f40-8d57-2144add82b53
Biotech in 2025: Precision medicine, smarter investments, and more emphasis on RWD in clinical trials
DNA helix 3D illustration. Mutations under microscope. Decoding genome. Virtual modeling of chemical processes. Hi-tech in medicine
Genomics in 2025: How $500 whole genome sequencing could democratize genomic data
A media release and Scientific Report image of Elizabeth Kellogg. - Camera Settings: ILCE-9M2, 12mm, ISO 1000, 1/80, f/3.2, Fri, 04-19-2024 at 10:10. v.12.01.23
St. Jude pioneers gene editing and structural biology to advance pediatric research
“ddd
EXPAND YOUR KNOWLEDGE AND STAY CONNECTED
Get the latest news and trends happening now in the drug discovery and development industry.

MEDTECH 100 INDEX

Medtech 100 logo
Market Summary > Current Price
The MedTech 100 is a financial index calculated using the BIG100 companies covered in Medical Design and Outsourcing.
Drug Discovery and Development
  • MassDevice
  • DeviceTalks
  • Medtech100 Index
  • Medical Design Sourcing
  • Medical Design & Outsourcing
  • Medical Tubing + Extrusion
  • Subscribe to our E-Newsletter
  • Contact Us
  • About Us
  • R&D World
  • Drug Delivery Business News
  • Pharmaceutical Processing World

Copyright © 2025 WTWH Media LLC. All Rights Reserved. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of WTWH Media
Privacy Policy | Advertising | About Us

Search Drug Discovery & Development

  • Home Drug Discovery and Development
  • Drug Discovery
  • Women in Pharma and Biotech
  • Oncology
  • Neurological Disease
  • Infectious Disease
  • Resources
    • Video features
    • Podcast
    • Voices
    • Webinars
  • Pharma 50
    • 2025 Pharma 50
    • 2024 Pharma 50
    • 2023 Pharma 50
    • 2022 Pharma 50
    • 2021 Pharma 50
  • Advertise
  • SUBSCRIBE