Research Published in Science Signaling A research project carried out by a research team, including Yonsei faculty members of College of Dentistry, Professor Yook Jong-in, Professor Kim Hyun-sil, Professor Kim Nam-hee, and Professor Lee Sang-hyuk (Ewha Womans University), Professor Barry M. Gumbiner (University of Virginia), and Professor Stephen J. Weiss (University of Michigan, Ann Arbor), recently reported that cancer is generated by the interaction between p53 and Wnt signaling. On November 1st, this finding was published in Science Signaling, a stablemate of Science, one of the world’s top scientific journals. Cancer is known to occur when p53, a representative suppressor gene, causes mutation and malfunctions. Wnt signaling, which refers to the signaling system of stem cells around the protein called Wnt, affects the growth and differentiation of cells; and when it becomes abnormally activated, the proliferation of cancer or the cancer stem cells is promoted. Although the relationship between cancer, p53, and Wnt signaling is widely known, the recent findings demonstrate that the two elements operate concurrently. Professor Yook said, “Approximately 50% of cancer is considered to occur from a problem in the ‘p53-microRNA-Wnt signaling’ system. More data on this system will enable researchers to develop patient-customized cancer treatment and target therapy.”