Weaknesses of Cancer Cells Containing RAS Mutations Discovered

Ji Luo and Steve Elledge have developed a system to identify endogenous factors that are critical for Ras mutant cancer cell viability. These potential Ras Synthetic Lethal (RSL) genes were identified by an elegantly designed assay for differential growth rates between Ras mutant and wild type cells after ShRNA reduction in endogenous gene activity. The hundreds of genes identified provide a unique set of potential therapeutic targets for cancers harboring the ras mutation. Their manuscript appears in the May 29th issue of Cell and is featured on the Harvard Medical School website.