Paulo Matos

Peter Jordan

Scientists in Portugal just found a new molecular mechanism behind colorectal cancer in which a mutated and a normal, but over-expressed, gene cooperate and are both needed to create the disease. The research, published in the journal Gastroenteroloy¹, also reveals how a technique called RNA interference can – by inactivating both genes - kill, in just 48 hours, as much as 80% of cancer cells. These are extremely promising results if transferred into new therapies for humans against a disease that still is one of the most common cancers in the western world.

 *This article is the result of a project for the divulgation of portuguese science" http://www.cienciahoje.pt/1455"