Pten activity is somewhat impaired in the vast majority of human cancers. With reduced activity in Pten, cells grow uncontrollably . Instead, the mutations tamp down the gene’s activity, so cells make less of the enzyme needed for orderly growth. But one of the hardest things for researchers to do is to find a way to increase, rather than turn off, a gene’s activity. Dr. Pandolfi and his colleagues tested their treatment on human prostate cancer cells and in mice bred to develop prostate cancer.

Source: New York Times May 17, 2019 18:43 UTC