Word of the Day: Oncogene(s)

Companies often refer to their products in their pipelines as "drugs targeted to disrupt oncogene function". So what are oncogenes? Simply, they are DNA encoded genes that have been proven experimentally to result in tumor formation. To do this, scientists have specialized mice that are "nude" which means they have been manipulated genetically to have no immune function. Then, either the DNA gene is put into the animal and made to express it's coded protein or cells already expressing the gene are injected under the skin of the animal. If a tumor develops, that protein is oncogenic. Usually, oncogenes are normal proteins within the body, but because of mutations or ?, they are either over-expressed (too much protein) or absent/non-functional.

(BTW- nude mice are called nude because they have no fur. When their immune function is suppressed genetically, a marker gene was inserted such that the scientist knows for sure that the animal has no immune system because it has no fur.)

Examples of oncogenes are Ras (always activated), Her2 (overexpressed), p53 (deletion), BCR/ABL ( a fusion of two proteins).

All of the above examples are active targets in Biotech/Pharma product pipelines.