Medical News

04.12.08: Gene

It is hoped the discovery of the role of the tumour suppressor gene - LIMD1 - may lead to new treatments and techniques to pick up disease earlier. Lung cancer is the UK's biggest cancer killer, claiming around 33,600 lives a year, partly because it often only detected at a late stage.

The University of Nottingham study appears in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The researchers compared lung cancer tissue with healthy lung tissue. This is very exciting research which could lead to the development of early screening techniques and treatments for lung cancer.

The researches found that the LIMD1 gene was missing in the majority of lung cancer samples, indicating that it might help to protect the body against the disease. In a follow up experiment mice bred to lack the gene developed cancer. 

It is estimated that nine out of ten cases of lung cancer are caused by smoking. Because the disease is often not picked up until it has reached an advanced stage 80% of patients die within a year of being diagnosed.