Camouflaging Of Viral DNA Could Be Crucial Step In Progression Of Cancers
Saturday, February 14, 2009 - 02:29
in Biology & Nature
Fifteen percent of cancers can be linked to a viral infection. However, the biological changes that cause some asymptomatic carriers of a virus to develop malignancies are not well understood. In a new study, scientists mapped a chemical modification of DNA in Epstein-Barr, human papilloma and hepatitis B viruses and found that the viral genomes undergo changes during the progression of disease, with implications for new prevention, diagnosis and treatment strategies.