The recent startling discovery that a single gene prevents the cells in the body from becoming tumours marked a dramatic turning point in cancer research. Taking readers into the labs where researchers have determined that cancers are caused either genetically or environmentally by destroying the new found gene, CURING CANCER brings to life the race to unlock cancer's genetic code. As well as documenting the search for a cure for cancer, Waldholz profiles many of the personalities that are shaping its course, scientists such as Bert Vogelstein, who first uncovered the tumour-suppressing gene; Mary-Claire King, whose research into breast cancer is fuelled by personal passion; and Mark Skolnick, whose team found two genes that may account for 10% of all breast cancers.
