NEWS

"Age of Possibility" Ushered In By Rapid Gene Discovery

Bob Kuska

Two years ago this month, U.S. Vice President Al Gore publically launched the National Cancer Institute's Tumor Gene Index program at a crowded White House ceremony. With cameras rolling, Gore explained that the new NCI initiative would compile a complete record of genes involved in tumor development, a first step in defining tumors based on their own unique molecular features. As he concluded his remarks that day, Gore threw his support behind the program by saying this is "an age of possibility."



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Vice President Al Gore

 
That possibility is fast becoming reality. According to Robert Strausberg, Ph.D., an NCI scientist who oversees the initiative, TGI already has discovered nearly 30,000 new human genes, making it the leading source of new gene discovery in the world today. Human DNA contains an estimated 100,000 genes, of which over 73,000 have been discovered.

Strausberg said TGI has catalogued over 66,400 genes in its first 2 years, both new and previously identified genes. In total, over 40,500 genes are active, directly or indirectly, in one or more cancers. Some of the 44 tissues that have been studied to date include:

"The Tumor Gene Index is still far from complete," said Richard Klausner, M.D., NCI director. "But already, it is difficult to think of another project that in such a short period of time has generated so much useful, publicly available data to benefit cancer research and ultimately people with cancer."

TGI is the first in a series of initiatives under NCI's Cancer Genome Anatomy Project a program to develop publicly available databases and technologies that assist scientists in deciphering the molecular anatomy of the cancer cell.

"Just as anatomists have defined the human body, CGAP seeks to define for the first time the molecules that are present in cancer cells and make them accessible to scientists," said Strausberg.



             
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