tumour

Researchers in the United Kingdom are investigating a mechanism that normally drives adult stem cells to repair the intestine.

They have found that if things go wrong and a crucial gene called Apc is lost or damaged, then this normal function of controlling the adult stem cell population breaks down and ultimately leads to a tumour.

It is well established that Id1, a gene normally produced only in embryonic development, is reactivated in many "solid" cancers, or carcinomas.

New research shows that by 'switching off' the Id1 gene, it is possible to induce a state of 'senescence', or permanent sleep, within a tumour, preventing it from growing or spreading.