An Epigenetic Mountain for Ovarian Cancer Research

Fluorescent Stained ovarian carcinoma cells. Note the visible nuclei vimentin, also known as fibroblast intermediate filament, it is the major intermediate filament found in non-muscle cells and is present in over 40% of ovarian cancer cases. Mag: unknown.

It’s tempting to look at a field like cancer research and conclude that all of the big breakthroughs have been made; that what remains are the tiny discoveries that come from throwing the contents of the Sigma chemical catalog at cells and looking for effects, screening for even the most minute “hit” that might show some promise against a tumor. Indeed the “mountains”, single genes that are found to be disrupted in a majority of occurrences of a given cancer type, are becoming rarer and rarer finds. However, in a recent study of ovarian clear cell carcinoma (OCCC), Jones and colleagues report a discovery of such a mountain. Continue reading “An Epigenetic Mountain for Ovarian Cancer Research”