Although any such new drug would only be discovered after a lot more research, this study of CTCF could be the vital first step along the route to discover a new treatment for prostate cancer. All living cells carry a set of genes that act as blueprints for each and every cell function. Each gene is used to build a protein molecule and it is the protein molecule that carries out the particular function. If a gene is badly damaged or lost, the cell can no longer make that protein and it loses that particular function. Sometimes, if the gene is only damaged, the protein will only lose part of its function.
Some proteins appear to function as a protection against cancer.
When the cell loses or damages the gene for one of these proteins, it is prone to become cancerous. These genes are called tumour suppressor genes.