Team find gene signature profile for metastasis

A common signature of tiny, specific pieces of non-coding genetic material known as microRNAs (miRNAs) may be directly involved in the spread of cancer to other parts of the body. Researchers at the Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson in Philadelphia and Ohio State University Medical Center in Columbus have identified such a signature, made up mostly of overexpressed miRNAs. The findings, reported at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology in Chicago, may represent a novel diagnostic tool in characterizing gene targets in metastatic cancer.