Satvik Sharma

Analysis of Genes involved in DNA Damage and DNA damage repair and their role in Breast Cancer

Started June 8, 2021

Abstract or project description

Breast cancer is evidently a major public health problem and has been increasing in the United States since formal tracking began in 1930. Both environmental and genetic factors contribute to the risk of breast cancer. Given the advanced ability to sequence the genomes of cancer patients, and link gene variants to disease, this review aims to summarize the contribution of gene mutations to breast cancer. In recent years, there have been several new genes discovered which contribute to extensive DNA damage itself. Other studies investigate gene variants and their relation to cancer. In these studies, BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene mutations correlate highly to breast cancer, with 3% of breast cancers linked to inherited mutations in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes. However, 97% of breast cancers are unrelated to familial BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations, prompting the question: What other genes contribute to breast cancer? By analyzing a benign and pathogenic data set for Breast Cancer, it was evident that MLH1, MSH2, and MSH6. Genes such as CDH1 are still understudied which represents future research opportunities in order to find out more about specific genes in-depth and whether they relate to breast cancer.