Science and Medicine News

chromosomes and parts of two others. Davis, director of Stanford’s yeast sequencing effort and professor of biochemistry, said that “yeast is a very good experimental platform for launching studies that will teach us more about humans.” Because of yeast’s similarity to human cells and its relative simplicity, researchers have used it for more than two decades to help decipher basic biological mechanisms. These studies have provided clues about the function of individual human genes involved in medical problems such as cancer, neurological diseases and skeletal disorders, Davis said. ST

Previous | Next