Conquest magazine is published quarterly by The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas.  It is funded by The University Cancer Foundation Board of Visitors on behalf of The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center.

FEATURES:
8 CANCER’S IGNITION SWITCH
Scientists have identified forerunner genes, whose inactivation paves the way for the silencing of tumor-suppressing genes and jump-starts cancer development.

5 LIFE IS FULL OF ADVENTURES
One Saturday every month, elementary school children come to M. D. Anderson to learn everything from how to package medicine to what goes on in the operating room.

14 A PERSONAL INVESTMENT
David H. Koch’s $18 million gift will bring together basic, translational and clinical scientists to rapidly move scientific findings to patients with genitourinary cancers.

ON THE COVER:
Bogdan Czerniak, M.D., Ph.D., and colleagues have identified and charted the location of key forerunner genes, which drive the initial growth of precancerous cells and set in motion the beginning stages of cancer.

Download Conquest Magazine, Spring 2008

PDF format, 5.1MB, 28Pages.

CANCER’S IGNITION SWITCH
Forerunner genes pave way for cancer

Long before cancer threatens health, long before it’s even detectable as cancer, normal cells stealthily are going bad. Identifying these precancerous changes during “the invisible stage” of a cell’s path to malignancy could make a huge difference in cancer prevention and treatment.

M. D. Anderson Pathology Professor Bogdan Czerniak, M.D., Ph.D., and colleagues are exposing this journey with a unique map — one so complex and finely detailed that it pinpoints an organ’s normal, transitional and cancerous cells in a way that also depicts how cells arrive at a cancerous destination.

The key finding from a decade of bladder cancer research is the existence of what Czerniak calls “forerunner genes,” whose inactivation paves the way for the silencing of tumor-suppressing genes, thus jump-starting cancer development.

“Forerunner genes are the ignition key that starts the engine of carcinogenesis,” Czerniak says. While the transition of normal cells into cancer has long been believed to involve activation of oncogenes and silencing of tumor-suppressing genes, forerunner genes drive the initial growth of precancerous cells.

“Discovery of these genes opens an entirely new field of investigation to identify biomarkers for the early identification and prevention of cancer,” he says. They also provide a new set of potential targets for therapies to prevent or treat cancer.

His technique, called whole organ histologic and genetic mapping, superimposes maps of genetic variation over a detailed map of the organ’s terrain as revealed by microscopic study of its tissue, or its histology. ...

Visit The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center Website

MISSION:
The mission of The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center is to eliminate cancer in Texas, the nation, and the world through outstanding programs that integrate patient care, research and prevention, and through education for undergraduate and graduate students, trainees, professionals, employees and the public.

VISION:
We shall be the premier cancer center in the world,
based on the excellence of our people, our research-driven
patient care and our science. We are Making Cancer History.

CORE VALUES:
Caring
By our words and actions, we create a caring environment for everyone.
Integrity
We work together to merit the trust of our colleagues and those we serve.
Discovery
We embrace creativity and seek new knowledge.

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