Down gene may aid cancer fight

An international research team has found that Down syndrome patients rarely get most types of cancer because of their genetic makeup, and the findings may aid in developing new cancer treatments.

The research, reported online in the journal Nature this week, shows an extra copy of a gene those with Down have helps suppress tumor growth by stopping blood vessel formation.

Dr. Julie R. Korenberg, USTAR professor of pediatric genetics at the University of Utah School of Medicine, was a member of the research team that described how the extra expression of a gene called DSCR1 appeared to be sufficient to stop blood vessel formation that helps tumors grow.

DSCR1 influences this process by regulating a protein that suppresses vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), a substance critical for blood vessel formation or angiogenesis.

The finding means that drugs might be developed to stop blood vessel formation in cancerous tumors, thereby killing them.

"There is a genetic pathway we haven't known about that protects against cancer," said Korenberg, a co-author on the study. "By having, in effect, 50 percent more of this gene (DSCR1), Down syndrome patients see a significant reduction in solid tumor incidence."

Humans typically carry 46 chromosomes and two copies of every gene. But those with Down's syndrome have an extra copy of chromosome 21, meaning they carry three copies of all 231 genes found on that chromosome, including DSCR1.

"This study is based in human processes and, therefore, may provide more confidence that clinical scientists can develop effective new treatments for human cancer from its findings," Korenberg said.