Sentences with phrase «of cancer mutations»
The researchers, mathematician Cristian Tomasetti and cancer geneticist Bert Vogelstein, both of Johns Hopkins University, set out to determine what proportion of cancer mutations are due to unpredictable DNA - copying errors — as opposed to the two other main contributors to cancer, inherited genes and environmental factors, such as smoking and obesity.
washingtonpost.com
Specifically, we construct a three - dimensional, structural model of the cancer mutation in the computer, study the mutation's consequences on cell function, and computationally evaluate possible treatments.
«These copying mistakes are a potent source of cancer mutations,» said Tomasetti, «and historically, these mutations have been undervalued.»
In their new study, Vogelstein and Tomasetti, working with global data, sought to answer a different question: What fraction of cancer mutations is due to R mutations?
But they also said it is important for scientists and the public to recognize that a large percentage of cancer mutations occur no matter how pristine the environment or how laudable someone's lifestyle choices.
Tomasetti said the work represented a paradigm shift because it marked the first time that researchers had measured the respective contributions of the three dominant causes of cancer mutations.
To answer that question, they analyzed genome sequencing data from The Cancer Genome Atlas and epidemiologic data from the Cancer Research UK database, developing a mathematical model that allowed them to determine the proportion of cancer mutations that resulted from R, hereditary or environmental mutations, respectively.