Researchers discover how some breast cancers alter their sensitivity to estrogen
Wednesday, July 27, 2011 - 11:02
in Health & Medicine
Using human breast cancer cells and the protein that causes fireflies to glow, a Johns Hopkins team has shed light on why some breast cancer cells become resistant to the anticancer effects of the drug tamoxifen. The key is a discovery of two genetic "dimmer switches" that apparently control how a breast cancer gene responds to the female hormone estrogen.