Gene mutations can either be inherited or acquired (somatic). Inherited gene mutations are passed down from your mother and/or father, and are in every cell in your body when you are born. Acquired or somatic gene mutations occur after you are born and can result from environmental or lifestyle factors such as smoking, radiation, UV exposure, diet, etc.

Cancer is a disease that results in abnormal gene function.

While it has been believed that much of the time cancer is due to chance, as only 5-10% of cancers had known hereditary causes, we believe that much more of cancer risk is passed down from your parents. Our work at MiraKind is to discover the genetic markers for many more cancers, and to use this information to define the strategies and behaviors that may help reduce cancer risk.

The KRAS-variant

The KRAS-variant is a good example of a new biomarker which provides a new explanation for the genetic cause of cancer for many more families with strong cancer histories. This mutation predicts an increased risk of breast (up from 1:8 to 1:4), ovarian (up from 1:74 to 1:12), and lung cancer, as well as multiple cancers in the same individual. The KRAS-variant is found in up to 25% of cancer patients, and is in 1/17 people in the general population, making it far more common that previously known mutations associated with cancer, such as BRCA1, which is found in only 5% of breast and ovarian cancer patients, and in 1/400 people overall.