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news.US scientists have identified a gene linked to a third of all breast cancers. The gene, called IKBKE, was discovered using a novel three-part screening process.
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Scientists at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in collaboration with researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and the Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, found that unlike breast cancer-susceptibility genes such as BRCA1 and BRCA2, IKBKE is not inherited in a mutated form that increases the risk of developing breast cancer at an early age.
In this case, the mutation arises during a woman’s life, causing an overproduction of the IKBKE protein. That, in turn, spurs cell growth and proliferation. The mutation is found in 30-40% of all breast cancers, making it a prime target for future drugs for the disease.
“If we can think of ways to target it, IKBKE can become potentially very useful in the future,” said Dr William Hahn of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.