BRCA1 Gene News and Research

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BRCA1 is a gene on chromosome 17 that normally helps to suppress cell growth. A person who inherits certain mutations (changes) in a BRCA1 gene has a higher risk of getting breast, ovarian, prostate, and other types of cancer.

Understanding triple-negative breast cancer to develop better treatments

Breast cancer affects 1 in 8 women in her lifetime. Among the various types, triple-negative breast cancer is the rarest and most aggressive – affecting about 15 percent of breast cancer patients. It is also the least studied.

19 Jul 2018

Charity introduces new Hereditary Cancer Risk Tool to fight ovarian cancer

Around 15% of ovarian cancer cases are linked to genetic mutations such as BRCA1, BRCA2 and Lynch Syndrome, which increase an individual's likelihood of developing ovarian and other cancers. This equates to over 1,000 women a year in the UK whose lives could potentially be saved.

13 Jun 2018

Scientists identify mutation that makes tumor cells resistant to breast and ovarian cancer drug

Scientists have identified a mutation that gives cancer cells resistance to the breakthrough cancer treatment olaparib and other PARP inhibitors.

10 May 2018

Researchers investigate how component of soy may suppress breast cancer development

A University of Arizona Cancer Center research team is engaged in a series of studies to investigate how genistein, a component of soy foods, might suppress the development of breast cancer.

31 Oct 2017

Yale scientists unravel molecular mechanism of breast cancer risk gene

More than 20 years after scientists revealed that mutations in the BRCA1 gene predispose women to breast cancer, Yale scientists have pinpointed the molecular mechanism that allows those mutations to wreak their havoc.

9 Oct 2017

High levels of suPAR protein shown to be likely cause of kidney damage in children

High levels of a protein known as suPAR, which has been shown to be a marker and likely cause of kidney damage, is as reliably predictive in children as in adults, according to results of a study published online today in JAMA Pediatrics, a clinical publication of the American Medical Association.

5 Sep 2017

Researchers uncover new clues to why BRCA1 mutations cause breast and ovarian cancer

The human body holds many mysteries, and function of the BRCA1 gene is among them. Women who inherit a faulty copy of BRCA1 have up to a 65 percent chance to develop breast cancer by age 70. They also have up to a 39 percent chance to develop ovarian cancer.

19 Jul 2017

Faulty BRCA genes and their linkage to breast and ovarian cancer: Study

A new large scale study has focussed on faulty BRCA genes and their linkage to breast and ovarian cancer. The research could help doctors counsel and advise their patients in a more definitive way in terms of treatment as well as lifestyle changes that could minimize cancer risk.

20 Jun 2017

BPS shows potential for increasing aggressiveness of breast cancer, study finds

Bisphenol S (BPS), a substitute for the chemical bisphenol A (BPA) in the plastic industry, shows the potential for increasing the aggressiveness of breast cancer through its behavior as an endocrine-disrupting chemical, a new study finds.

2 Apr 2017

Scientists discover how genetic mutation disarms tumor-suppressing BRCA1 proteins in breast cancer

Of the more than 3 million people with breast cancer in the United Stated, about 10 percent carry an inherited mutation in their BRCA1 gene. In health, the gene is responsible for suppressing tumors. In disease, the gene goes terribly awry.

28 Feb 2017

BRCA1 gene required for survival of blood forming stem cells, UT Southwestern study finds

Researchers at from the Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center have found that the BRCA1 gene is required for the survival of blood forming stem cells, which could explain why patients with BRCA1 mutations do not have an elevated risk for leukemia.

25 Jan 2017

Women with BRCA1 gene mutation at increased risk of aggressive uterine cancer

Women who carry the BRCA1 gene mutation that dramatically increases their risk of breast and ovarian cancers are also at higher risk for a lethal form of uterine cancer, according to a study led by a Duke Cancer Institute researcher.

1 Jul 2016

Denosumab drug that inhibits RANKL gene can prevent genetic breast cancer

An international team led by researchers at the Austrian Institute of Molecular Biotechnology in Vienna and the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore discovered that genetically determined breast cancer can be largely prevented by blocking a bone gene. An already approved drug could be quickly available and would then be the first breast cancer prevention drug.

1 Jun 2016

Research describes how gene BRCA1 plays vital role in DNA repair

Scientists at the University of Birmingham are a step closer to understanding the role of the gene BRCA1. Changes in this gene are associated with a high risk of developing breast and ovarian cancer.

30 May 2016

Auranofin drug could improve prognosis for ovarian cancer patients exhibiting BRCA1 deficiency

An anti-rheumatic drug could improve the prognosis for ovarian cancer patients exhibiting a deficiency of the DNA repair protein BRCA1, a study suggests.

11 Jan 2016

Low levels of BRCA1 protein in the brain linked to dementia

Mutant forms of breast cancer factor 1 (BRCA1) are associated with breast and ovarian cancers but according to new findings, in the brain the normal BRCA1 gene product may also be linked to Alzheimer's disease. The results, published in Nature Communications, suggest that low levels of BRCA1 protein in the brain may contribute to dementia.

1 Dec 2015

Breastfeeding associated with lower risk of developing hormone-receptor negative breast cancer

A large international study shows that breastfeeding is associated with a lower risk of developing an aggressive form of breast cancer called hormone-receptor negative. This new combined evidence shows the risk was reduced by up to 20% in women who breastfed.

29 Oct 2015

Scientists develop new molecular toolkit to investigate protein assemblies in human disease

A photograph may reveal how something looks, but direct observation can divulge how the objects behave. The difference can mean life or death, especially when it comes to fighting human disease.

29 Sep 2015

Research: Cancer preventative surgery may not be necessary in the future

Surgery to remove the breasts of women at increased risk of developing breast cancer may not be necessary in the future, according to research published in EBioMedicine. Two new studies looking at the effect the menstrual cycle has on the development of breast and ovarian cancer reveal alternative prevention strategies that may render surgery unnecessary.

11 Sep 2015

Celebrity impact on breast cancer screening

Angelina Jolie received widespread media attention in 2013 when she told the public that she'd tested positive for BRCA1, a gene associated with an increased risk of breast and ovarian cancers, and subsequently had a double mastectomy. Now research shows that this publicity did influence some women's intentions to seek out similar genetic testing.

21 Jul 2015