Cloning a gene NBS is a similar disease, named after a city in the Netherlands, though most patients are from Poland and the Czech Republic. These patients have very similar characteristics to AT patients, according to Dr. Concannon, but they are a little different in that they have mutations of a completely different gene. We actually cloned that gene last year by studying a small number of families with the gene. It gives us a window into how people become susceptible to cancer. Presumably, cancer arises in some people because their DNA or cells are damaged.
Most people have bodily systems to do something about that.
The body may trigger those cells to die before they become malignant. One way is through VM s translational research group, investigators who work part time in the medical center and part time in the research center. The idea is that these researchers would become the bridge that moves technology and knowledge from the laboratory to the hospital, Dr. Concannon says. Similarly, Dr. Concannon was drawn to the Molecular Genetics Program because of the very direct human aspect of it. As a researcher, I can work on a question that is directly relevant to human disease.