According to researchers at the Wistar Institute in Philadelphia, the results of a gene study could lead to a therapeutic target for a group of related cancers including Neurofibromatosis Type 2, an inherited cancer disorder, and mesothelioma, a cancer caused by asbestos exposure.
The study showed that a protein known as Merlin that makes up part of the NF2 gene interacts with another protein called angiomotin. The discovery could lead to a therapy that essentially starves tumors of nutrients, inhibiting cancer growth.
Mutations in the Merlin gene have been found in approximately half of all mesothelioma cases and in some other types of cancers.
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