Down's gene boost fights cancers

[TechBear_Seattle]

Often times, debilitating genetic disorders are viable in that they grant immunity to certain diseases. The gene that causes sickle cell anemia when you have two copies grants a strong resistance to malaria and some other parasitic blood infections, for example.

Down's gene boost fights cancers

People with Down's syndrome are less likely to get some cancers - and scientists hope to exploit this to help other people at risk.

Most cases of Down's happen because the baby is carrying an extra chromosome packed with genetic information.

But Johns Hopkins University experts, writing in the journal Nature, say the additional copy of one gene might help block cancers.

The article continues at http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7167892.stm

At the very least, there may be some gene on chromosome 21 which provides immunity to some forms of cancer; having an extra copy of the gene is what grants the heightened immunity. If researchers could track down that gene and learn what it does....

[TZ]

1. Interesting

but since the lifespan of Down's syndrome patients has been much shorter than the average person, its hard to know how much "immunity" it really gives. Remember that sometimes cancer happens after a long lifespan when the genes start slowing down, so to speak...But nonetheless interesting...