hat the Werner syndrome gene is not only an aging gene, but also a cancer gene.
             Schellenberg says he began looking for the Werner syndrome gene in 1992. At that point, Makoto Goto from Tokyo Metropolitan Otsuka Hospital and his colleagues had already shown that the gene is located on the short arm of chromosome 8 by genetic linkage studies-comparing the inheritance of the disease with that of markers at known locations on the chromosomes. To continue the hunt, scientists began by doing further genetic studies aimed at narrowing down the gene's location. He then wanted to sequence DNA from the suspect region and scan the sequence to find likely genes. "My philosophy was to bring all the different gene identification technologies to bear [on this problem]," he recalls.
             Other groups were also searching for the gene and a remarkable spirit of cooperation between competing groups aided the hunt. A team of American scientists and that of rival gene-hunter Tetsuro Miki of Osaka University Medical School share
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