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American Morning

Interview With Dr. Patricia Berg

Aired April 22, 2003 - 09:17   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: New medical research could have a big impact on early detection and treatment of breast cancer. A new gene, called BP1, has been found in preliminary studies to be active in 80 percent of all breast tumors. What could this mean for the diagnosis and treatment of the disease?
Dr. Patricia Berg is an associate professor of biochemistry and molecular biology at George Washington University, and a lead researcher on the gene study. She is in Washington this morning, and joins us now. Hello to you, doctor.

DR. PATRICIA BERG, GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY: Hi, Heidi.

COLLINS: This is an exciting find. Tell us, if you will, what, indeed, it does mean for diagnosis and then treatment.

BERG: Well as a scientist and the mother of a daughter, I want to help do something about the 212,000 women in the U.S. that will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year, and the 40,000 women who will die of the disease. We have discovered and cloned a new gene called BP1, which we just found is expressed in 80 percent of breast tumors. This is a very high number, and we think that that means this gene is a good potential target for therapy and for early detection.

COLLINS: How does it actually work? How can this be used to fight breast cancer then?

BERG: Well, if we can target the gene with drugs, then it could be used in that way to turn the gene off. In fact, in the lab, we have found several drugs that will do this. In addition, as you may know, the gene is expressed very highly in the tumors of African- American women. It is expressed in 89 percent of those tumors, compared with 57 of the tumors of Caucasian women. So the data may be especially helpful to African-American women.

COLLINS: And is it true that one of the findings of the study is that not necessarily is breast cancer more common in African-American women, but when they do get it, it proves to be more fatal?

BERG: That's exactly right, and reasons for this are not understood. It is known that social economic factors do play a role, but once those are taken into account, there is still a differential, and African-American women die sooner with the same stage of disease.

COLLINS: So the discovery of this gene, then, actually does provide some new hope for early detection? BERG: Yes. We're working now with a breast surgeon at George Washington University to try to develop a blood test for the disease, which would be much easier than having to have tissue.

COLLINS: And also developing a treatment. What is the next step as far as the presence of this gene is concerned?

BERG: Well, we're doing a lot of molecular studies in the lab, so we know something about how this gene acts. It seems to encourage the growth of cells, and prevent them from dying so that they continue to grow indefinitely, which is, of course, a signature of a cancer gene, and we are hoping to develop a pharmaceutical partner who would have the expertise and knowledge to screen a number of drugs that may be effective.

COLLINS: All right. Dr. Patricia Berg, I'm sure this is a very exciting find for you, being a researcher...

BERG: Yes, it is.

COLLINS: ... on this case and this study. All right. Excellent work. Thanks so much. Dr. Patricia Berg...

BERG: Thank you.

COLLINS: ... associate professor of biochemistry and molecular biology.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com







Aired April 22, 2003 - 09:17   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: New medical research could have a big impact on early detection and treatment of breast cancer. A new gene, called BP1, has been found in preliminary studies to be active in 80 percent of all breast tumors. What could this mean for the diagnosis and treatment of the disease?
Dr. Patricia Berg is an associate professor of biochemistry and molecular biology at George Washington University, and a lead researcher on the gene study. She is in Washington this morning, and joins us now. Hello to you, doctor.

DR. PATRICIA BERG, GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY: Hi, Heidi.

COLLINS: This is an exciting find. Tell us, if you will, what, indeed, it does mean for diagnosis and then treatment.

BERG: Well as a scientist and the mother of a daughter, I want to help do something about the 212,000 women in the U.S. that will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year, and the 40,000 women who will die of the disease. We have discovered and cloned a new gene called BP1, which we just found is expressed in 80 percent of breast tumors. This is a very high number, and we think that that means this gene is a good potential target for therapy and for early detection.

COLLINS: How does it actually work? How can this be used to fight breast cancer then?

BERG: Well, if we can target the gene with drugs, then it could be used in that way to turn the gene off. In fact, in the lab, we have found several drugs that will do this. In addition, as you may know, the gene is expressed very highly in the tumors of African- American women. It is expressed in 89 percent of those tumors, compared with 57 of the tumors of Caucasian women. So the data may be especially helpful to African-American women.

COLLINS: And is it true that one of the findings of the study is that not necessarily is breast cancer more common in African-American women, but when they do get it, it proves to be more fatal?

BERG: That's exactly right, and reasons for this are not understood. It is known that social economic factors do play a role, but once those are taken into account, there is still a differential, and African-American women die sooner with the same stage of disease.

COLLINS: So the discovery of this gene, then, actually does provide some new hope for early detection? BERG: Yes. We're working now with a breast surgeon at George Washington University to try to develop a blood test for the disease, which would be much easier than having to have tissue.

COLLINS: And also developing a treatment. What is the next step as far as the presence of this gene is concerned?

BERG: Well, we're doing a lot of molecular studies in the lab, so we know something about how this gene acts. It seems to encourage the growth of cells, and prevent them from dying so that they continue to grow indefinitely, which is, of course, a signature of a cancer gene, and we are hoping to develop a pharmaceutical partner who would have the expertise and knowledge to screen a number of drugs that may be effective.

COLLINS: All right. Dr. Patricia Berg, I'm sure this is a very exciting find for you, being a researcher...

BERG: Yes, it is.

COLLINS: ... on this case and this study. All right. Excellent work. Thanks so much. Dr. Patricia Berg...

BERG: Thank you.

COLLINS: ... associate professor of biochemistry and molecular biology.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com