Researchers from Boston University (BU) have identified a number of proteins whose activation allows them to distinguish between cancer and normal cells with almost 97 percent accuracy.

In addition, the BU researchers have developed a new computational strategy to analyze this data and specifically identify key biological pathways (molecular circuits) that are active in cancer and “dormant” in normal cells. The study which appears in the November 25th issue of PLoS ONE, will ultimately lead to the development of drugs specifically aimed to inhibit these proteins.