Expansionary Institute

Leukaemia Gene Breakthrough Could Help Down's Children (Biogenesis),

Leukemia Gene Breakthrough Could Help Down's Children

Scientists in Chicago have pinpointed a gene that partly causes leukaemia in children with Down's Syndrome.

It is hoped the discovery will speed up diagnosis and lead to new types of therapy.

Down's children are 10 to 20 times more likely to develop leukaemia than other children.

Scientists at the Ben May Institute for Cancer Research analysed DNA from 75 patients with different types of myeloid leukaemia and 21 healthy patients.
They found six out of six patients with Down's and megakaryoblastic leukaemia had an abnormal version of a gene called GATA1.

Megakaryoblastic leukaemia is extremely rare in children without Down's Syndrome. None of the other patients in the study had an altered GATA1.

The team think a mix of gene abnormalities cause acute megakaryoblastic leukaemia. Now they're trying to find the other genes which work with GATA1 to trigger the disease.

John Crispino, who led the study, said: "GATA1 is just part of the story, but it's a crucial early step that should lead us to the rest of the pathway."

Researcher Michelle Le Beau said: "Our finding pinpoints a specific pathway leading to this kind of cancer, offers a method for rapid and precise diagnosis and suggests more focussed ways to treat this disease."

Story filed: 23:52 Sunday 11th August 2002

Mon Aug 12