Genomic sequencing experts at Johns Hopkins partnered with pharmacologists at Stony Brook University to reveal a striking mutational signature of upper urinary tract cancers caused by aristolochic acid, a plant compound contained in herbal remedies used for thousands of years to treat a variety of ailments such as arthritis, gout and inflammation.
The discovery is described in the Aug. 7 issue of Science Translational Medicine.
This study illustrates how genomic sequencing could also be used to pinpoint a culprit carcinogen in some cancer clusters, says Margaret L. Hoang, Ph.D., lead author of the study.
Read the full, original story here: Scientists Use Genome Sequencing to Demonstrate Herbal Remedy Causes Upper Urinary Tract Cancers
