Embryonic stem cells answer questions about breast cancer

sea-maid submitted, created time 5 months 2 weeks (www.nature.com)

Mutations in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes dramatically increase a woman's risk of breast cancer, and some women consider genetic screening in the hopes of earlier detection and treatment. Commercial tests can detect common variants associated with risk, but many mutations are unclassified. With nearly 2,000 BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations identified, how can dangerous ones be distinguished from those that have no effect on breast cancer risk? Using mouse embryonic stem cells, a team led by Shyam Sharan at the National Cancer Institute, in Bethesda, Maryland, has developed a functional assay that associates common single nucleotide variations with BRCA2 function.........

Keywords: stem cell research stem cells cancer screening risk factors breast cancer BRCA2 BRCA1 Embryonic stem cells