Israeli Scientists Unlock Brain Gene Tied to Autism and Cancer

Tel Aviv University researchers developed a tool to measure PTEN gene activity, linking its mutations to autism and cancer. 

This breakthrough could enable early detection and targeted therapies for brain-related diseases.

Inside the brain, billions of cells maintain a careful balance between growth and restraint. Occurring at a molecular level the process shapes everything from how you think to how you move. When the genes controlling it malfunction, particularly a crucial gene called PTEN, the ripple effects can manifest as autism, epilepsy, or cancerous tumors.

Until recently, scientists understood PTEN’s role as a cellular “stop sign” but were working essentially in the dark. They could study the aftermath when thee gene failed but couldn’t actually witness it in action within living brain tissue.

This all changed when Dr. Tal Laviv’s team at Tel Aviv University pioneered a breakthrough technique. By combining advanced genetic tools with specialized microscopy, they have been successful in creating a highly sensitive system capable of measuring PTEN activity in intact mouse brains.

“PTEN activity is crucial for maintaining cells at their proper size and state,” explains Dr. Laviv. “There is growing evidence that mutations in PTEN, which reduce its activity, contribute to a vartiety of fatal diseases.”

However, the real-world impact of this discovery extends well beyond scientific curiosity. For children in their first years of life when neural connections form at astounding rates proper cellular regulation can mean the difference between typical and atypical development. Identifying PTEN activity in real-time could transform a once fatal diagnosis to something treatable once more.