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UAB Researchers Discover a New Mechanism Involved in Predisposition to Cancer
February 26, 2002
A team of researchers at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) has discovered a new mechanism that accelerates the shortening of telomeres (structures that protect the ends of chromosomes) involved in genetic instability and a predisposition to cancer. The research has been published in the journal Human Molecular Genetics. DNA in higher organisms is organised into individual chromosomes, the ends of which are protected by structures called telomeres. Telomeres are very important in maintaining the cells’ genetic integrity, as they prevent the chromosomes from joining together, protect their ends from degradation and are involved in segregating chromosomes properly during cellular division. They also play a decisive role in two fields that are very important in social and biological terms: cancer and ageing. Telomeres gradually shorten and thus indicate the point at which the cell dies and control the proper proliferation of tissues.
For the first time, a team of researchers at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona has observed that telomeres may shorten more quickly due to sudden breakages in the DNA sequence that they consist of. The scientists made this discovery by analysing cells from a genetic syndrome called Fanconi’s anaemia, which is typified by a high genetic instability and chromosomal fragility, and which causes a very high predisposition to contracting cancer in harbourers (a risk of leukaemia 15,000 times higher than in a healthy person). The researchers have observed that the telomeres of affected patients present an accelerated shortening owing to breakages in the telomeric DNA sequence, leading to chromosomes being unprotected and joining together. This mechanism may explain patients’ symtomatology and their tendency to contract cancer. The research thus provides a first experimental link between a predisposition to cancer with the mechanism of sudden shortening of telomeres.
Fanconi’s anaemia came to public notice a little over a year ago (4th October 2000) when the parents of a patient (Molly Nash) genetically selected an embryo so that the newborn baby could become a donor of histocompatible blood for a bone marrow transplant to the infant’s elder sibling.
The interdisciplinary research has been published in Human Molecular Genetics, one of the most prestigious journals on human genetics, and was carried out by the Research Fellow Elsa Callén, under the supervision of Dr. Jordi Surrallés, the Mutagenesis Group “Ram'łn y Cajal” Researcher in the genetics and Microbiology Department of the UAB, in co-operation with the Spanish National Biotechnology Centre, the Vall d’Hebron Hospital and the Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau in Barcelona. The study was carried out within the framework of a scientific collaboration agreement between the UAB and the Fanconi Anaemia Research Fund, Inc. in Oregon (USA) and was supported by the Ministry of Health and Consumption Fund for Health Research.
Barcelona, Universitat Autònoma de
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Anticancer: A New Way of Life (Thorndike Nonfiction)
by David Servan-Schreiber (Author)
The New York Times bestseller takes us on an empowering journey and changes the way we think about fighting cancer
David Servan-Schreiber's story of his journey from cancer patient to health combines memoir with a clear scientific explanation of what makes cancer cells thrive and what inhibits them. Anticancer is filled with easy to understand charts and diagrams and a sixteen-page color "Anticancer Action" insert that enables readers to make small but essential changes in lifestyle and diet. Your body knows how to fight cancer, says Servan-Schreiber, and you have to help it with nutrition, physical exercise, stress management, and avoiding environmental toxins. Anticancer enables people living with cancer to adopt a proactive attitude to living, even thriving, with cancer and...
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Cancer: 50 Essential Things to Do: Third Edition
by Greg Anderson (Author)
The ground-breaking classic guide to surviving cancerânow completely updated!
Revised and updated for the first time since 1999, this invaluable guide to cancer recovery offers an easily accessible plan for patients and family members. Written by a cancer survivor, the book is an inspiring, action-oriented roadmap for those who choose to adopt a stance of hope and take charge of their diagnosis.
With penetrating insights that bring together more than two decades of scientifically supported research and experience, Anderson reveals a step-by-step holistic action plan that has been successfully employed by hundreds of thousands of cancer patients worldwide. Andersonâs message is: âYou must not simply treat illness, you must also create wellnessâphysically,...
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Wildfox The Cancer Tee,T-shirts for Women, One Size,White
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Wildfox The Cancer Tee,T-shirts for Women: One Size Fits Most Oversized loose-fit tee with screen print on front; 100% cotton. By Wildfox
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When Someone You Love Has Cancer: A Guide to Help Kids Cope (Elf-Help Books for Kids)
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10 Pack of i[2]y Stupid Cancer Wristbands
by I'm Too Young For This! Cancer Foundation
Show your support for i[2]y and the Stupid Cancer Movement by Giving Cancer the Bird.
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i[2]y Stupid Cancer Wristbands come in packs of 10 wristbands so you and your friends can spread the word.
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Cancer-Free: Your Guide to Gentle, Non-toxic Healing (Third Edition)
by Bill Henderson (Author)
"If you love your stricken one, this is your Bible." said Denzel Koh of Brisbane, Australia after he healed his daughter's cancer using the information in a previous edition of this book. A cancer diagnosis always causes fear. All of us have seen relatives and friends destroyed by conventional cancer treatment. Now, thanks to books like this one and the Internet, you can quickly learn what you need to know. You can heal the cancer using natural, non-toxic substances that work. What you need is a guide to cut through the overwhelming jungle of information. This book provides that guide. The information in it has been refined over eight years using feedback from real cancer survivors about what worked for them. The author has counseled hundreds of cancer...
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