Scientists uncover gene signature behind cancer spread

Washington, May 31 (ANI): U.S. researchers have identified a gene signature responsible for the spread of cancer from one organ to another, a process scientifically known as metastasis.

Research collaborators from the Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson in Philadelphia and Ohio State University Medical Center in Columbus say that the signature they have found is made up mostly of over expressed microRNAs (miRNAs), tiny pieces of non-coding genetic material.

Presenting their findings at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology in Chicago, the researchers said that their work might represent a novel diagnostic tool in characterizing gene targets in metastatic cancer.