Cancer Genetics

All cancers result from alterations to our genes. Usually these changes occur randomly in a mature cell of an individual’s body. However, sometimes they can occur in the germ cells and hence can be passed on to the next generation. In this case cancer may occur more commonly in a particular family than in others, because that family has inherited a predisposition to develop a particular type of tumour. Research at the QIMR is aimed at understanding the genetic basis of hereditary cancers, particularly melanoma, basal cell carcinoma, multiple endocrine neoplasia and breast cancer, as well as the genetic changes that take place when a normal cell develops into a cancer cell.
Cancer Genetics research projects:

• Identification of melanoma predisposition genes
• The molecular genetics of multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1s
• The genetic basis of common moles
• Nevoid basal cell carcinoma syndrome and the inheritance of basal cell carcinoma
• New breast and ovarian cancer susceptibility genes
• Modification of breast cancer risk in BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers
• Identification of tumour suppressor genes on chromosome 8
• cDNA arrays to look for ovarian cancer genes
• Understanding normal functions of tumor suppressors, p53, BRCA1, BRCA2 and ATM
• Cancer predisposition associated with defective regulation of cellular DNA damage response
• Defective regulation of cell division cycle and cancer risk