Study findings from Medical School broaden understanding of cancer gene therapy.

Data detailed in 'The retinoblastoma gene Rb and its family member p130 suppress lung adenocarcinoma induced by oncogenic K-Ras' have been presented. "Mutations of the retinoblastoma tumor suppressor gene RB are frequently observed in human cancers, but rarely in non-small cell lung carcinomas (NSCLCs). Emerging evidence also suggests that the RB-related gene p130 is inactivated in a subset of human NSCLCs," scientists in the United States report (see also Cancer Gene Therapy).

"To directly test the specific tumor suppressor roles of RB and p130 in NSCLC, we crossed Rb and p130 conditional mutant mice to mice carrying a conditional oncogenic K-Ras allele. In this …