New Discovery to Fight Leukaemia
23 September 2007 - British scientists have discovered how an enzyme present in human cells plays a crucial role in the development of leukaemia. The recent study* shows for the first time a way of targeting cancer by specifically blocking the activity of an enzyme in blood cells.
Experts believe the work by Dr Eric So, Team Leader of The Institute's Leukaemogenesis Team in the Section of Haemato-Oncology, to be significant because it uncovers a novel link between an enzyme, code-named PRMT1, and Mixed Lineage Leukaemia (MML), an aggressive form of cancer that develops particularly in babies and young children. It was shown that the enzyme plays a crucial role in the cause of some types of leukaemia.
MLL was characterised as a new subtype of leukaemia in December 2001. Researchers at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute used gene technology to study the make-up of acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL). They found a distinct form of the disease, with its own genetic make-up, which they termed MLL. It possesses a chromosomal translocation indicating that a piece of one chromosome has broken off and attached itself to another chromosome, changing the normal function of cells.
According to AICR’s scientific adviser, Dr Mark Matfield, scientists discovered many years ago that cancer was caused by damage to certain key genes that controlled the growth and multiplication of cells: “Dr So’s work is exciting and highly significant because it shows the crucial role the enzyme plays in cancer development, and opens up the possibility of developing new treatments in a previously unexplored way.”
Norman Barrett, AICR's Chief Executive says the decision to support Dr So’s work has been given in line with the charity’s policy of funding the most exciting and novel approaches to research worldwide. “We believe it is important to fund work that pushes the boundaries and Dr So and his team are charged with tackling one of the greatest scientific challenges of all.”
