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Researchers Closing In On Gene For Paralytic Disorder

Scientists have mapped a defective gene responsible for hereditary amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) to chromosome 9, bringing closer the isolation of the gene and potential treatment options. The gene is suspected to be linked to similar neurodegenerative disorders, with symptoms appearing in childhood but never being fatal.

SourceJohns Hopkins Medicine·JournalAmerican Journal of Human Genetics·DateMar 2, 1998

Discovery of "KiSS" Gene May Help Stop Spread Of Melanoma

Researchers at Penn State have discovered a new gene called KiSS-1 that suppresses the metastasis of melanoma in laboratory mice. The gene, located on chromosome 1, reduces the spread of melanoma by at least 50 percent of the time and may be the most potent gene to block or suppress metastasis in human cancer.

Second Breast Cancer Gene Located

Researchers at Duke University and the Institute for Cancer Research have located a second breast cancer susceptibility gene, BRCA2. This gene is expected to account for most of the remaining 50% of inherited breast cancers not caused by BRCA1. Women who inherit BRCA2 are at an 85% risk of developing breast cancer.