Australian scientists discover new melanoma gene risk

Australian researchers on Monday warned sun lovers of a new genetic discovery, which can dramatically increase their chances of developing a deadly skin cancer, melanoma. The discovery was made by a team of researchers from the University of Sydney's Westmead Millennium Institute for Medical Research and the Queensland Institute of Medical Research. While there is little known about the role genes play on skin cancer, the team used advanced DNA sequencing to examine the entire genomes of a small number of people with a strong family history of melanoma. According to Professor Graham Mann, from the Westmead Millennium Institute for Medical Research, the mutant gene, known as MITF, is more commonly found in people who have many moles and a family history of melanoma. MITF controls the growth of melanocyte cells which make the skin turn brown after sun exposure. But if the gene is faulty it seems to be more sensitive and have stronger effects, paving the way for melanoma. Professor Mann said more than a dozen genetic mutations were known to play a role in melanoma, and if people carried several different mutations, particularly high-risk ones such as MITF, it could explain why some are more likely to develop melanoma than others. The scientists behind the discovery estimated about one percent of the nation's population, or 200,000 Australians, carry this faulty gene and face a higher than average risk of melanoma. Professor Mann said the research will hopefully lead to better treatments for people at risk. "What we would hope is that because we understand how that mechanism is working, it might be possible to prevent that by a safe medication that could be designed or maybe an existing medication that's out there," he said in a statement released on Monday. "Taken regularly, [it] may be a way of reducing the risk for people who are carrying this mutation. We don't know that yet, but at least knowing how the mutation works will give us a big start for that." The findings have been published in the latest issue of science journal Nature.