The deterioration of DNA, constantly attacked by toxic substances, radiation and ultraviolet light, can lead to cancer and other serious ailments.
Why then do some people exposed to these three agents get sick and others don't? The answer could be in the genetic self-healing capacity of cells , which differs in each organism.
As just published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences , a team from MIT has created a test that simultaneously evaluates the effectiveness of four types of cellular reaction against external attacks in less than 24 hours.
After analyzing a type of blood cells called lymphoblastoids in 24 healthy individuals, the scientists found that their repair strategies varied significantly. Each person had their own profile ; it was like some kind of fingerprint.
Now the MIT team is trying to adapt their technique to conventional blood tests . This could quickly determine the risk of developing a malignant tumor or the tolerance of patients to chemotherapy and radiotherapy, since previously only one of these defensive modalities could be evaluated by examination.
Experts also believe that the new test will help design new drugs that enhance or slow the self-healing ability of DNA . For example, if this reaction could be inhibited in cancer cells, the treatments would be more effective.
