Can I inherit cancer?

unpacking 30 years of the BRCA discovery

Episode 15 of the That Cancer Conversation podcast, hosted by Cancer Research UK, titled "Can I inherit cancer?" was published on October 30, 2024 and runs 34 minutes.

October 30, 2024 ·34m · That Cancer Conversation

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Summary

Our DNA is made up of 3000 million letters of code. They make up genes within our DNA and are responsible for how cells in our body grow and multiply. But what happens when something in that code goes wrong? Welcome to another episode of That Cancer Conversation, a podcast from Cancer Research UK that brings together the science and the stories behind cancer.  In this episode, Sophie will be looking at the human genome and explore how changes in our DNA can increase our risk of getting cancer. Prof Mike Stratton, former director of the Wellcome Sanger Institute and a pioneer in cancer genetics, helps unpack this question and tells us how he and his team persevered to find the second BRCA gene (BRCA2) and its mutation. It’s been 30 years since the discovery of the first BRCA gene, BRCA1. Sophie sits down with Maria, her sister, Chrissy, and their mother, all who were tested positive for the BRCA2 gene mutation. They discuss their cancer stories and how the life-changing discovery of the BRCA genes has affected them as a family.  Read more cancer stories on Cancer NewsYou can donate to Cancer Research UK here Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode Description

Our DNA is made up of 3000 million letters of code. They make up genes within our DNA and are responsible for how cells in our body grow and multiply. But what happens when something in that code goes wrong?

Welcome to another episode of That Cancer Conversation, a podcast from Cancer Research UK that brings together the science and the stories behind cancer.

In this episode, Sophie will be looking at the human genome and explore how changes in our DNA can increase our risk of getting cancer. Prof Mike Stratton, former director of the Wellcome Sanger Institute and a pioneer in cancer genetics, helps unpack this question and tells us how he and his team persevered to find the second BRCA gene (BRCA2) and its mutation.

It’s been 30 years since the discovery of the first BRCA gene, BRCA1. Sophie sits down with Maria, her sister, Chrissy, and their mother, all who were tested positive for the BRCA2 gene mutation. They discuss their cancer stories and how the life-changing discovery of the BRCA genes has affected them as a family.

Read more cancer stories on Cancer News

You can donate to Cancer Research UK here

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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