links for 2009-05-14
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HOW do cancer cells get into the brain? A "ticket" made of three genes seems to grant them access in mice. The discovery could one day lead to drugs that cancel out a similar ticket in people. Around 10 per cent of people whose cancer has metastasised, or spread beyond the original site, develop brain tumours. It's a mystery how cancer cells get past the "blood-brain barrier", which prevents the passage of most cells.