A group of scientists from Toronto which is led by Professor Jason Moffat at the University of Toronto's Donnelly Centre have mapped out the genes that keep our cells alive, providing a wonderful foothold for understanding how our genome works and which genes are crucial in diseases. The scientists switched off almost 18,000 genes one by one to find which genes are essential for cell survival. These genes involved 90 percent of the entire human genome.
The study about the new gene map was published in Cell on November 25. The data revealed more than 1,500 essential genes. This is greatly helpful to pinpoint the biomedical role for every gene in the genome.
The research team turned genes off in five different cancer cell lines — brain, retinal, ovarian, and two kinds of colorectal cancer cells. Then they discovered that each tumour relies on a unique set of genes that can be targeted by specific drugs. These findings make it possible to devise new treatments that target cancer cells, which leave the surrounding healthy tissue unharmed.
About 12 years ago, scientists completed the sequencing of the human genome, which allowed them to compile a list of 20,000 genes which make up our cells and bodies. Although it was a great achievement, they still didn't figure out each gene's function and why humans get sick when some of the genes go wrong. In order to understand the problem, the scientists started by switching genes off one by one across the entire genome to see what processes go wrong in the cells.
In general, the new gene map is of great importance for treatment of diseases like cancer. More progress will be made next.
More information about gene and antibody can be found here:http://www.cusabio.com/Polyclonal-Antibody/CSHL1-Antibody-Biotin-conjugated--11098207.html
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