EU researchers are making major headway in determining what molecules cause cancer in the human intestine. The next step – formulation of personalised therapies for colorectal cancer.
The cells lining the adult intestine are continuously renewing themselves. A biochemical pathway, Wnt, lies at the heart of the crucial switch – when the cells stop dividing and differentiate to become a specialised cell. Mutations that cause faults in the molecular outcome of the pathway can cause colorectal cancer.
Further details: The power of long non-coding RNAs