Oncogenes and cell proliferation The genetics and biology of cancer — revealing avenues for therapy

摘要

In this issue of Current Opinion in Genetics and Development a variety of moleculat events that underlie the development of cancer are given scrutiny. Cancer is clearly a disease of faulty genes. However, complex strategies are required to identify, appreciate and rationalize in full the different genetic events involved in cancer development. Diverse approaches — among them the high-throughput screening for novel gene mutations, studies that determine the role of these genetic changes in transformation, biochemical and structural work unravelling the molecular functioning and regulation of culprit molecules and model systems that investigate the interaction between tumour and host — must be considered to yield a picture that adequately depicts the process underlying cancer development. Understanding the intricate nature of this picture might be crucial for predicting and developing effective measures towards curing this complex group of diseases.