在过去的十年中,有两组生物学家沿着各自的途径分别进行癌的探索性研究。细胞遗传学家在对人类携带基因的棒状染色体进行追踪时,发现取自癌症病人的肿瘤细胞的染色体经常呈现断裂和混乱的现象。同时,分子生物学家确认有所谓的致癌基因——一种通常静止地位于染色体上的神密遗传物质,“启动”后,即触发细胞无限制的增殖 In the past decade, two groups of biologists have conducted cancer exploration studies along their own routes. When cytogeneticists traced the human rod-like chromosomes carrying genes, they discovered that the chromosomes of tumor cells taken from cancer patients often exhibited fractures and chaos. At the same time, molecular biologists have confirmed that there are so-called oncogenes - a kind of secreted genetic material that is usually stationary on the chromosome. After “activation”, it triggers an unlimited proliferation of cells.