Melanoma gene quickly reeled in

A systematic effort to test every human gene for connections to cancer has landed a catch earlier than expected. While still testing their strategies and equipment for analyzing DNA, scientists have identified a gene that could play a role in many cases of malignant melanoma, the most deadly form of skin cancer.

The discovery is the first success of the Cancer Genome Project, a venture financed by the Wellcome Trust, a British foundation, and led by investigators at the Sanger Institute in Hinxton, England.