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IMAGE: In this scanning electron micrograph of inside the nucleus of a cancer cell, chromosomes are indicated by blue arrows and circular extra-chromosomal DNA are indicated by orange arrows. view more
Credit: Image courtesy of Paul Mischel, UC San Diego
Cancer is one of the world s greatest health afflictions because, unlike some diseases, it is a moving target, constantly evolving to evade and resist treatment.
In a paper published in the December 23, 2020 online issue of
Nature, researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine and the UC San Diego branch of the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, with colleagues in New York and the United Kingdom, describe how a phenomenon known as chromothripsis breaks up chromosomes, which then reassemble in ways that ultimately promote cancer cell growth.