Question: what are the differences between normal molecules and cancerous molecules?

Lizzard O'Day answered on 16 Jun 2011:

Great question! In a lot of ways cancer cells and normals cells are completely different and in some ways they’re very similar- it’s complicated. Both cells contain DNA, RNA, proteins and metabolites but the quantity of each or the activity of each in the cells is usually quite different. There may be some proteins that are revved up in cancer cells and that’s what lets the cancer cells divide like crazy.

For my research we found several RNA molecules that are completely missing in cancer cells- there genes have been turned off. If we manipulate those cells to turn these genes back on- suddenly the cancer cells can’t grow. It’s very cool to watch. This is all done in “test-tube” so the tricky part is figuring out how to do this in animals and eventually in people. We’re making progress!