Jan. 2, 2008 -- New research shows that the genetic roots of Down syndrome may protect against cancer.

The finding may lead to the creation of new cancer drugs, researcher Roger H. Reeves, PhD, a professor at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, tells WebMD.

Such drugs are a long way off, but "people with Down syndrome have now given us all the possibility of lowering the incidence of cancer in everybody," says Reeves.

That possibility lies in the DNA of Down syndrome, Reeves' team reports in tomorrow's edition of Nature.  To read the entire article, click here.