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Cancer cells do not die off like normal cells and now, a University of Minnesota scientist thinks he knows why.
The promising research could offer clues to developing new cancer treatments.
Timothy Hallstrom at the University of Minnesota and researchers from Duke University located the specific gene that signals breast and ovarian cancer cells to multiply or die.
They also discovered a mutation that blocks the gene from killing off cancer cells.
"When the cell death is blocked, these cancer cells just take off because the cell death is not happening anymore," said Hallstrom.
Researchers hope the discovery will lead to the development of drugs that can regulate the function of the gene so that cancer cells behave more like healthy cells—multiplying and dying in balance.
Doing so could lead to longer survival rates and reduced recurrence.
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