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Mary‑Claire King Opens Asturias Prize Week, Urges Wider Access to Genetic Testing

The 2025 scientific laureate highlights BRCA1’s impact to show how genetic knowledge drives prevention.

Overview

  • In an Oviedo lecture before roughly 800 people, King said genetic tests are inexpensive and should be available to every woman who needs them.
  • She cited Hospital Universitario Central de Asturias research reporting centuries‑old regional mutations that predispose to breast cancer.
  • King emphasized that BRCA1 mutations raise breast cancer risk in both women and men, noting the mutations can be especially devastating for men.
  • She praised Angelina Jolie’s public preventive surgeries for increasing awareness of gene‑informed decisions that can reduce cancer risk.
  • King said she will continue leading research into severe mental illness and cautioned that meaningful clinical gains in brain genetics may take decades.