Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) and the Boston University Biomedical Engineering Department have identified a number of proteins whose activation allows them to distinguish between cancer and normal cells with almost 97 percent accuracy. In addition, the BU researchers have developed a new computational strategy to analyze this data and specifically identify key biological pathways (molecular circuits) that are active in cancer and "dormant" in normal cells. The study which appears in the November 25th issue of PLoS ONE, will ultimately lead to the development of drugs specifically aimed to inhibit these proteins.
According to the BU researchers, there are many features that make cancer cells different from normal cells. They look different histologically, they proliferate and divide at different rates, they are immortal unlike normal cells, and are less communicative with their neighbor cells. They are also more "selfish" in refusing to commit suicide (programmed cell death) which normal cells do when their genomes become unstable.