p53 is both your genome’s guardian and weakness against cancer – scientists are trying to repair or replace it when it goes awry
- Written by Prosper Obed Chukwuemeka, Ph.D. Candidate in Integrative Systems Biology, University of Pittsburgh
To stop tumors from forming, p53 can trigger programmed cell death.Juan Gaertner/Science Photo Library via Getty ImagesCancer arises when your cells grow uncontrollably and refuse to die when they should. Normally, your body is equipped with regulatory processes to prevent this chaos. One such mechanism involves a protein called p53. Often dubbed...