Tim Radford
Scientists who identified a single gene that protects against cancerous chemicals said this week a cancer-prevention pill could be undergoing trials within a decade.
The Scottish team’s research found that a single gene may determine whether a smoker develops lung cancer. In an experiment with mice, scientists demonstrated that the gene provides a vital defence against the toxic chemicals found in tobacco smoke.
Roland Wolf, the professor who led the team of scientists from Dundee, Glasgow and Edinburgh, said: “For the first time [we’ve shown] that a single gene could be profoundly important in protecting us against cancer. That’s good news, because it’s easier to manipulate one gene than many. I would hope that we could have a serious programme, at least in trial form, of cancer chemo-prevention, by manipulating these types of genes specifically, in the next 10 years. I guess you might take it like you take a vitamin pill.”