Devanand Sarkar and a team of scientists at VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center have discovered that the gene TAF2 plays a pivotal role in the growth of hepatocellular carcinoma. The researchers found that TAF2 is overexpressed in HCC patients compared to individuals with healthy livers, and that TAF2 regulates the survival of hepatocytes—the functional cells of the liver—and tumor formation. Their study—recently published in the journal Hepatology also demonstrates that TAF2 cooperates with the MYC gene, another known major driver of cancer, to accelerate tumor growth.
Yuman Fong, chair of the Department of Surgery at City of Hope, delivered the Lister Legacy Lecture at the triennial conference of The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh. This presentation honors the long-term impact of Baron Joseph Lister, who brought antiseptic techniques to the practice of surgery.
