Breast Cancer Gene Investigators Prepare For The Next Showdown

The researchers who found BRCA1, and the 'also-rans,' have many remaining avenues for ground-breaking studies When the public was informed that a team of scientists led by University of Utah geneticist Mark Skolnick had found a breast cancer susceptibility gene, it indeed appeared to be what Science called in a news report "a fitting finale to one of the most riveting of the fierce and grueling gene hunts that have come to epitomize life in the fast lane of genetics research" (R. Nowak, 265:1

Steven Benowitz

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The researchers who found BRCA1, and the 'also-rans,' have many remaining avenues for ground-breaking studies

When the public was informed that a team of scientists led by University of Utah geneticist Mark Skolnick had found a breast cancer susceptibility gene, it indeed appeared to be what Science called in a news report "a fitting finale to one of the most riveting of the fierce and grueling gene hunts that have come to epitomize life in the fast lane of genetics research" (R. Nowak, 265:1796-9, 1994).

The theatrical aspect of the long-anticipated discovery was highlighted by the fact that the story was broken by NBC News nearly a month before the papers were published. Following that September 13 television report, Science decided to print its news story in its September 23 edition, although the articles themselves did not appear in the journal until October 7.

By now, the champagne corks have ...

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