2008 Woodie Awards
Leukemia Cell Etiology Discovered
Sarah Westen
Issue date: 1/24/08 Section: Sci/Tech
Professor Tariq Enver, of the Medical Research Council Molecular Hematology Unit in Oxford, recently published a study discovering the cell involved in childhood leukemia.
The January 17 issue of BBC News reported: "The finding could mean more specific and less intensive treatments for all children with the blood cancer."
The study, funded by the charity Leukemia Research and conducted by a team of UK researchers led by Enver, followed four-year-old twin girls. Both girls were found to have the culprit "pre-leukemic cells" in their bone marrow, but to date only one has been diagnosed with leukemia.
Leukemia is a cancer of the blood or bone marrow characterized by an abnormal production of blood cells, usually leukocytes, or white blood cells. It occurs when large numbers of leukocytes take over the bone marrow leaving the body unable to produce enough normal blood cells. Leukemia is included in a group of diseases called hematological neoplasms. Acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) is the most common type of leukemia in young children. Acute leukemia is a more common cause of death for children in the United States than any other type of malignant disease.
Researchers have believed genetics may play a role in the development of childhood leukemia; however, Olivia Murphy of the UK developed acute lymphoblastic leukemia when she was two-years-old, and her twin sister, Isabella, is to-date still healthy.
By studying the twin girls, researchers identified a rogue cell that is the root cause of childhood leukemia, claims BBC News. The scientists behind the study, which is detailed in the journal Science, say that a second genetic mutation is needed for the full-blown disease to develop.
Rogue cells are cultured lymphocytes exhibiting extreme chromosomal damage in the absence of any known cause. In the twin girls, "pre-leukemic stem cells," containing a mutated gene (formed by DNA is breaking and rejoining at a different point), transferred from one twin to the other in the womb through their shared blood supply. However, a second mutation, likely caused by infection, has resulted in the development of cancer in Olivia only.
The January 17 issue of BBC News reported: "The finding could mean more specific and less intensive treatments for all children with the blood cancer."
The study, funded by the charity Leukemia Research and conducted by a team of UK researchers led by Enver, followed four-year-old twin girls. Both girls were found to have the culprit "pre-leukemic cells" in their bone marrow, but to date only one has been diagnosed with leukemia.
Leukemia is a cancer of the blood or bone marrow characterized by an abnormal production of blood cells, usually leukocytes, or white blood cells. It occurs when large numbers of leukocytes take over the bone marrow leaving the body unable to produce enough normal blood cells. Leukemia is included in a group of diseases called hematological neoplasms. Acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) is the most common type of leukemia in young children. Acute leukemia is a more common cause of death for children in the United States than any other type of malignant disease.
Researchers have believed genetics may play a role in the development of childhood leukemia; however, Olivia Murphy of the UK developed acute lymphoblastic leukemia when she was two-years-old, and her twin sister, Isabella, is to-date still healthy.
By studying the twin girls, researchers identified a rogue cell that is the root cause of childhood leukemia, claims BBC News. The scientists behind the study, which is detailed in the journal Science, say that a second genetic mutation is needed for the full-blown disease to develop.
Rogue cells are cultured lymphocytes exhibiting extreme chromosomal damage in the absence of any known cause. In the twin girls, "pre-leukemic stem cells," containing a mutated gene (formed by DNA is breaking and rejoining at a different point), transferred from one twin to the other in the womb through their shared blood supply. However, a second mutation, likely caused by infection, has resulted in the development of cancer in Olivia only.
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