Researchers looking at a large sample of primary liver cancer samples and liver cancer cell lines were able to identify fibroblast growth factor 19 (FGF19) as a gene that was frequently present in too many copies. Abnormal copying of genes (gene amplification) is common in many cancer types, but this gene has not previously been shown to be involved in liver cancer in this way. Working with a neighboring gene (CCND1), the FGF19 gene seems to be extremely important in liver cancer. Antibodies targeted agains the protein were able to block growth and development of tumors by cells containing too much FGF19. The genetic alteration, or amplification, of this region of DNA was also identified as a possible way to identify cancers that would respond to anti-FGF19 treatment.
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