![Identifying Important Cancer Genes]()
Efforts to develop effective treatments for breast cancer face a major hurdle: Many of the gene mutations associated with breast cancer occur in fewer than 10 percent of cases, and little is known about whether these mutations actually drive the cancers. To determine the functional roles of these mutations, Wenjun Guo, Ph.D., and colleagues developed a rapid approach for modeling tumor development in mouse models, which they describe in the September 20 online issue of Cell Reports. Using RNAi and CRISPR-mediated gene editing of mammary stem cells, the researchers created mouse models in which specific breast-cancer associated genes were inactivated. This approach enabled the researchers to identify several interesting but poorly understood cancer genes that function in various stages of breast cancer development including tumor initiation, progression, metastasis and resistance to targeted therapy. Dr. Guo is assistant professor of cell biology and is also a member of the Ruth L. and David S. Gottesman Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine.
Posted on: Friday, October 21, 2016