A new study, led by Gary Karpen of the Biological Systems & Engineering (BSE) Division, links the overexpression of 14 genes related to cell division to cancer patients’ prognosis and response to specific treatments. The researchers said the findings, published today in the journal Nature Communications, could lead to a new biomarker for the early stages of tumor development. The information obtained could help reduce the use of cancer treatments that have a low probability of helping.

The research team included lead author Weiguo Zhang and Jian-Hua Mao of BSE; collaborators Wei zhu and Anshu Jain; and Ke Liu and James (Ben) Brown of the Environmental Genomics & Systems Biology Division. Read more on the Berkeley Lab News Center.