CNIO researchers discover that a gene known to protect against cancer can also promote tumor growth

The authors, from Oscar Fernandez Capetillo's group, have identified this double-edged property in the gene Chk1, an established tumor suppressor

Can a gene simultaneously protect against cancer and favor its growth? Researchers at the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre have discovered a gene with this double-edged property and suspect there may be many more that share it. In the words of Oscar Fernandez Capetillo, head of the group responsible for the study, this gene "can be both Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, in that it can either protect us against the appearance of tumors or promote tumor growth".