Cancer’s ‘rogue DNA’ relies on two proteins to prevent and repair breaks

September 23, 2026
7:51 pm

Researchers at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) and their colleagues have discovered that a type of rogue DNA found in aggressive cancers has a hidden structural weakness—and that blocking a single repair protein can cause it to fall apart, suggesting a new therapeutic opportunity.

This rogue DNA is called extrachromosomal DNA, or ecDNA, and it is found in roughly 1 in 6 human cancers. ecDNA consists of circular pieces of DNA that sit outside normal chromosomes and drive the amplification of cancer-causing genes.

The presence of ecDNA has been linked to faster tumor growth, resistance to treatment and poorer survival—but scientists haven’t been clear on how cancer cells keep this unstable DNA intact.

Cancer’s ‘rogue DNA’ relies on two proteins to prevent and repair breaks

Researchers at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) and their colleagues have discovered that a type of rogue DNA found in aggressive cancers has a hidden structural weakness—and that blocking a single repair protein can cause it to fall apart, suggesting a new therapeutic opportunity.

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