Stopping Cancer Before It Starts

Researchers from the University of Edinburgh have recently discovered how cellular responses to inflammation can keep the body healthy. When DNA is damaged, the damaged cells are removed in order to keep tissues healthy. A molecule that binds DNA and triggers inflammation, cGAS, can detect damage and trigger the dealth of these potentially dangerous cells. The team stated that their findings, "could also shed light on how inflammation occurs in certain types of autoinflammatory diseases, where the immune system attacks the body's own tissues" (University of Edinburgh). So, not only did they find a possible new mechanism for how the body protects itself against cancer, but also information on how inflammation may affect other diseases. 1

• 1Karen J. Mackenzie, Paula Carroll, Carol-Anne Martin, Olga Murina, Adeline Fluteau, Daniel J. Simpson, Nelly Olova, Hannah Sutcliffe, Jacqueline K. Rainger, Andrea Leitch, Ruby T. Osborn, Ann P. Wheeler, Marcin Nowotny, Nick Gilbert, Tamir Chandra, Martin A. M. Reijns, Andrew P. Jackson. "cGAS surveillance of micronuclei links genome instability to innate immunity." Nature. 2017 July 24. [NATURE]