cancer, genetics & genomics

Two large-scale studies reveal new insights into the genomic characteristics of childhood cancers.

A byproduct of alcohol consumption causes mutations in the DNA of mouse blood stem cells, and some of the breaks are not repaired.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services propose covering the test with Medicare. 

Researchers identify 72 novel genetic variants associated with breast cancer risk.

When transplanted into mice, tumor genomes evolve differently than they do in patients, study finds.

Two freely available databases include data on hundreds of human cancer cell lines. 

An analysis of human cancer genome projects uncovers a counterintuitive loss of ribosomal gene copies.

The publicly available database found nearly a third of samples included mutations targeted by either approved drugs or therapies in clinical trials. 

Childhood cancer survivors with mutations in certain cancer-risk genes have a higher risk of developing additional neoplasms later in life, according to research presented at the American Association for Cancer Research annual meeting.

At the University of California, Santa Cruz, the researcher combs the cancer genome, looking for weaknesses.

April Scientist to Watch Angela Brooks of the University of California, Santa Cruz, discusses her search to find vulnerabilities buried within the genomes of cancer cells.

A new algorithm reveals hoards of preparation-induced DNA mutations in publicly available human sequences.

Family members of Lacks, the donor behind the widely used HeLa cell line, are planning to sue Johns Hopkins University.

Researchers discover that short pieces of DNA harboring oncogenes are relatively widespread in cancer.

A cell phone–based microscope can identify mutations in tumor tissue and image products of DNA sequencing reactions.

Scientists produce a detailed genomic map of mutations and epigenetic changes associated with smoking tobacco across 17 tumor types. 

NSAIDs reduce this "parainflammation," hinting at how they help lower cancer risk.

As the importance of genomic copy number variations for health and disease becomes clearer, researchers are creating new ways to detect these changes in the genome.

The marsupials’ genomes show evidence of a rapid evolutionary response to selection imposed by devil facial tumor disease.

Researchers identify three new examples of infectious cancers affecting these invertebrates.