In patients with Fanconi anaemia (FA), one of the DNA repair mechanisms that normally protects us against cancer no longer works adequately. A Dutch researcher set out to find the genes responsible for this defect. He discovered a new FA gene and established that FA gene defects could also cause cancer in people who do not suffer from FA. Although this does not sound positive, it is in fact good news. That is because cells with a FA defect are hypersensitive to certain types of chemotherapy and can therefore be specifically targeted.