Features
- Cover Type: Paperback with 310 pages
- Published by: John Wiley & Sons January 1996
- Written in: English
- ISBN 10 Number: 0471120251
- ISBN 13 Number: 978-0471120254
-
Book Dimensions:
9.6 x 6.5 x 1.1 inches
- Weighs: 1.5 pounds
Product Review
Kevin Davies, the editor of the journal Nature Genetics, and Michael White, a science journalist, have chronicled the search for BRCA1, the gene for "heritable" breast cancer. Though just 5 to ten percent of the 183,000 cases diagnosed each year can be linked to this gene, scientists hope to find a connection between heritable and the more common "sporadic" breast cancer caused by genetic mutations. Based on the findings of Mary-Claire King at U.C. Berkeley, Francis Collins, the director of the Human Genome Project, and Mark Skolnick, cofounder of the Utah-based Myriad Genetics,
Breakthrough applauds the discovery of BRCA1, but cautions against presuming it a "quick fix."
From Publishers Weekly
In 1970, after a 15-year search, University of California geneticist Mary-Claire King proved the existence of a gene, called BRCA1, that if damaged can predispose women to breast and ovarian cancer. Four years later, the actual gene was isolated by University of Utah researcher Mark Skolnick-who used Mormon families' genealogies to pinpoint his prey, working in collaboration with geneticist Roger Wiseman's small, government-funded North Carolina laboratory. Another key player in this competitive race was Francis Collins, director of the U.S. Genome Project. As the authors note, screening tests to identify women who have inherited faulty copies of BRCA1 are presently offered almost exclusively in a research-only context; nor is this the only gene that can predispose women to breast or ovarian cancer. Nevertheless, Davies, editor of Nature Genetics, and White, a biographer of Stephen Hawking, believe that BRCA1 can provide a breakthrough in the search for a cure, and their report is top-notch science writing.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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