Seven DNA fingerprints determine genetic predisposition for cancer
New research published in
Science Advances is attempting to change the way that we think about cancer. The research suggests that cancers develop more due to genetic predispositions that due to “bad” human behavior, like smoking or eating a high-fat diet. The research comes from Dr. Edwin Wang, PhD, at the University of Calgary, who is a cancer systems biologist and big data scientist. He is also the Alberta Innovates Translational Chair in Cancer Genomics. This discovery rewrites the textbook explanation that cancer occurs because of human behavior combined with some bad luck to include one s genetic make-up, says Wang. We believe that a baby is born with a germline genomic pattern and it will not change, and that pattern is associated with a lower or higher cancer risk.
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Lifestyle, or put another way bad habits , is one of the textbook explanations for why some people are at higher risk for cancer. We often hear that smoking increases our risk of developing lung cancer or that a high-fat diet increases our risk of developing bowel cancer, but not all smokers get lung cancer and not all people who eat cheeseburgers get bowel cancer. Other factors must be at play.
Now, new research from University of Calgary scientist Dr. Edwin Wang, PhD, is shedding light on those other factors . Wang has discovered seven DNA fingerprints or patterns that define cancer risk. The research is published in