Saturday, December 9, 2023
SCIENMAG: Latest Science and Health News
No Result
View All Result
  • Login
  • HOME PAGE
  • BIOLOGY
  • CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS
  • MEDICINE
    • Cancer
    • Infectious Emerging Diseases
  • SPACE
  • TECHNOLOGY
  • CONTACT US
  • HOME PAGE
  • BIOLOGY
  • CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS
  • MEDICINE
    • Cancer
    • Infectious Emerging Diseases
  • SPACE
  • TECHNOLOGY
  • CONTACT US
No Result
View All Result
Scienmag - Latest science news from science magazine
No Result
View All Result
Home SCIENCE NEWS Cancer

McMaster researchers reveal predictive staircase to leukemia

January 11, 2016
in Cancer
0
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Hamilton, ON (Jan. 11, 2016) – McMaster University researchers have taken a giant leap in identifying the early stages of a deadly cancer and predicting how it will develop in individuals.

"We've found that the transition from healthy to cancerous blood stem cells happens in clear, compartmentalized steps," said Mick Bhatia, principal investigator of the study and director of the McMaster Stem Cell and Cancer Research Institute. "We've identified two steps in that staircase."

In the paper published today by the scientific journal Cancer Cell, the researchers detail how they have been able to fingerprint myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), a state for blood cells that turns into acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cancer in approximately 30% of patients. The study demonstrates that early and accurate prediction of this aggressive cancer is possible.

AML is the most common type of leukemia in adults, and about 1,300 Canadians are expected to develop the disease each year.

Bhatia's research team found when they deleted one version of the important GSK-3 gene, the other version of the gene became active but remained non-cancerous. However, when the second version of the gene was also deleted, AML cancer began.

To test this, Bhatia's team collaborated with Italian researchers at the University of Bologna to apply these initial findings to human blood samples that had been previously collected from patients with MDS, some of whom eventually developed AML. McMaster researchers did a retroactive study, and demonstrated that gene expression analysis of patient blood samples was accurate in predicting which patients would develop AML and which would not.

"This discovery improves our ability to identify which patients with MDS will develop AML," said Bhatia. "However, our next step is to go beyond better predictive measures for the development of a blood cancer, and use this predictive gene expression as a target for drugs to prevent AML from developing altogether. This will be part of a new era of genetic-based drug discovery."

###

The research was funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Canadian Cancer Society Research Institute.

Editors: A photo and video interview may be found here at http://bit.ly/1Pbnvwt

Media Contact

Veronica McGuire
vmcguir@mcmaster.ca
905-525-9140
@mcmasteru

http://www.mcmaster.ca

Share25Tweet16Share4ShareSendShare
  • The number of invasive plant species across the eastern United States that (a) increase, (b) are maintained, or (c) decrease abundance habitat with +2°C climate warming.

    Study finds plant nurseries are exacerbating the climate-driven spread of 80% of invasive species

    80 shares
    Share 32 Tweet 20
  • Researchers predict climate change-driven reduction in beneficial plant microbes

    79 shares
    Share 32 Tweet 20
  • Top 10 climate science insights unveiled

    79 shares
    Share 32 Tweet 20
  • New study highlights COVID-19’s adaptive strategy for infection

    79 shares
    Share 32 Tweet 20
  • Baboons in captivity in Ancient Egypt: insights from collection of mummies

    77 shares
    Share 31 Tweet 19
  • ECNU review of education highlights network ethnography in researching global education policy

    75 shares
    Share 30 Tweet 19
ADVERTISEMENT

About us

We bring you the latest science news from best research centers and universities around the world. Check our website.

Latest NEWS

Study finds plant nurseries are exacerbating the climate-driven spread of 80% of invasive species

Researchers predict climate change-driven reduction in beneficial plant microbes

New study highlights COVID-19’s adaptive strategy for infection

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 208 other subscribers

© 2023 Scienmag- Science Magazine: Latest Science News.

No Result
View All Result
  • HOME PAGE
  • BIOLOGY
  • CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS
  • MEDICINE
    • Cancer
    • Infectious Emerging Diseases
  • SPACE
  • TECHNOLOGY
  • CONTACT US

© 2023 Scienmag- Science Magazine: Latest Science News.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In