11.27.2007

Mighty mouse engineered to fight cancer

Researchers have created a mouse that is resistant to even highly aggressive cancers.

Scientists at the University of Kentucky created the mouse by introducing into the animal the tumour-killing Par-4 gene, taken from the prostate. Par-4, which was discovered by radiation-medicine expert Vivek Rangnekar and his team, kills cancer cells but not normal cells. It is actually found in every kind of cell, the researchers say. (CBC)