Lab-Created Mice Resist Cancer

A mouse seemingly invulnerable to cancerous tumors has been engineered, Science Daily reports. Researchers at the University of Kentucky introduced a more active version of the Par-4 gene—which appears able to differentiate cancer cells from healthy ones, then kills them—into mouse embryos. They found that the enhanced mice never developed cancers and passed the gene on to their offspring.

“This killer gene is selective for killing cancer cells. It will not kill normal cells … there are very few selective molecules out there like this,” researcher Vivek Rangnekar said. Rangnekar said “excruciating” side effects of traditional anti-cancer therapies pushed scientists to look for a “holistic approach that would get rid of the tumor, but not harm the organism as a whole.” (More cancer stories.)