AI-generated conceptual illustration of a strand of genetic code shifting by one position as a ribosome passes, igniting one abnormal cell while neighbouring cells stay dark
Biotechnology

Cancer cells misread their own code, so researchers built a trap out of the mistake

A Chinese team has turned a translation error that happens mostly in tumour cells into an on switch for a self-destruct gene. It cleared tumours in mice, spared healthy tissue and already has a patent application pending.