Australian Team Helps Find Genes Responsible For Melanoma Skin Cancer
Australia's high sun hours make melanoma a problem in this country
IMAGE BY gr33n3gg, Flickr, Used under Creative Commons
Here in Australia, a simple sunburn is often the least of our worries. Australia's long hours mean we record some of the highest numbers of melanoma cases in the world, with over 10 000 cases new cases reported annually, according to the Cancer Council Australia. That makes it the fourth most prevalent cancer in this country. So we think it's fitting that an Australian team are part of a new study that has successfully identified four key genetic markers that increase the liklihood of developing the skin cancer reponsible for. over 1000 deaths a year.
The study, paired with a similar study in the UK, was conducted by a team from the Queesland Institute of Medical Research, whose task basically involved surveying 2168 Australians of European descent (melanoma is far more prevalent in this ethnic group than any other), and then sorting through half a million genetic markers known as single nucleotide polymorphisms, or SNPs. These SNPs flag a difference in a single nucleotide of DNA, and can also alter the function of certain strands of DNA, hence their importance in a lot of disease research.
Lead scientist in the Australian study, Dr Stuart MacGregor, told the ABC that crunching through that many pieces of very specific genetic material came with its own share of problems
"We looked at about half a million SNPs", said Dr MacGregor. "Because you are testing so many, you find lots that just look significant by chance."
The UK team, based at the University of Leeds, also found an SNP that may be part of a genetic string the body uses to repair damaged. DNA. Given that melanomas often stem from damaged genetic code and tissue corruption, genes like these may be crucial in working out how to fight cancerous growths like melanomas.
[ABC]