4 September 2013 Last updated at 14:19 ET

UK scientists have found a gene in mice that, if faulty, may increase the risk of ovarian cancer.

Mice lacking the gene were twice as likely to develop ovarian tumours, as well as showing signs of infertility, according to a new study.

If the gene has a similar role in humans, it could lead to new screening tests, say scientists at the London Research Institute, Cancer Research UK.

The research is published in the journal Nature.

The study looked at a gene known as Helq, which is involved in repairing damaged DNA.

Mice lacking the gene were twice as likely to develop ovarian tumours compared with those with a normal copy.

Ovarian cancer can be hard to diagnose early and treat successfully so the more we know about the causes of the disease, the better equipped we will be to detect and treat it

Dr Simon Boulton, senior author from Cancer Research UK's London Research Institute, said: "Our findings show that if there are problems with the Helq gene in mice it increases the chance of them developing ovarian and other tumours.

"This is an exciting finding because this might also be true for women with errors in Helq, and the next step will be to see if this is the case.

Read more here:
New gene clue to ovarian cancer

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