RDA Analysis of Breast Cancer

Michael H. Wigler, Ph.D. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y.

Dr. Michael Wigler, of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y., has been examining genetic changes in breast tumor tissue from patients on Long Island using a technique called representational difference analysis (RDA). In this pilot study, he demonstrated that the technique permits cloning of DNA probes that mark the presence of genetic lesions in tumors. Advances in the development of this technique as a research tool are of interest because, among other reasons, because certain point mutations in genes may be linked to environmental exposures and may be characteristic of specific environmental exposures. A report on the pilot work funded through by the Long Island Breast Cancer Study Project (LIBCSP) was published in 1995. The seed money provided for this study led to a larger research effort that was funded by the U.S. Department of Defense.

Published report
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