Leukemia News and Research

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Leukemia (Leukaemia) is a cancer of the blood cells. It is the most common type of blood cancer and affects 10 times as many adults as children. Most people diagnosed with leukemia are over 50 years old. No one knows why some people develop leukemia and others do not. However, scientists have identified some risk factors for the disease. Most people who have known risk factors do not get leukemia, while many who do get the disease have none of these risk factors. During the early stages of leukemia, there may be no symptoms. Many of the symptoms of leukemia don't become apparent until a large number of normal blood cells are crowded out by leukemia cells.

Researchers discover inherited gene mutation linked to childhood leukemia

Researchers have discovered the first inherited gene mutation linked exclusively to acute lymphoblastic leukemia occurring in multiple relatives in individual families. The discovery of the PAX5 gene mutation was led by St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and others. The work appears in the current advance online edition of the scientific journal Nature Genetics.

11 Sep 2013

Scientists identify RNA regulator that plays critical role in proper functioning of hESCs

Scientists at A*STAR's Genome Institute of Singapore, in collaboration with their counterparts from Canada, Hong Kong and US, have discovered a protein mediator SON plays a critical role in the health and proper functioning of human embryonic stem cells. This finding was reported on 8th September 2013 in the advanced online issue of the prestigious science journal Nature Cell Biology.

10 Sep 2013

Researchers discover why multiple myeloma persistently escapes cure

Clinical researchers at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre have discovered why multiple myeloma, an incurable cancer of the bone marrow, persistently escapes cure by an initially effective treatment that can keep the disease at bay for up to several years.

10 Sep 2013

Researchers identify genetic link specific to risk of childhood leukemia

For the first time, a genetic link specific to risk of childhood leukemia has been identified, according to a team of researchers from Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, University of Washington, and other institutions. The discovery was reported online today in the journal Nature Genetics.

10 Sep 2013

Study: Changes in expression of various isoforms might play role in cancer development

Spool-like proteins called histones play a crucial role in packaging the nearly seven feet of DNA found in most human cells. A new study shows that a group of histones that are thought to behave the same way actually are functionally distinct proteins.

4 Sep 2013

Roche's Herceptin formulation wins EU approval for treatment of HER2-positive breast cancer

Halozyme Therapeutics, Inc. announced today that the European Commission has granted Roche European Union marketing authorization for the use of a time-saving subcutaneous formulation of Herceptin (trastuzumab) for the treatment of HER2-positive breast cancer.

2 Sep 2013

Nanostructures made of DNA strands can encapsulate, release small-molecule drugs

Nanoscale "cages" made from strands of DNA can encapsulate small-molecule drugs and release them in response to a specific stimulus, McGill University researchers report in a new study.

2 Sep 2013

New delivery system for combination of 2 FDA approved drugs to fight HIV

A University of Minnesota research team featuring researchers from the Institute for Molecular Virology, School of Dentistry and Center for Drug Design has developed a new delivery system for a combination of two FDA approved drugs that may serve as an effective treatment for the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

31 Aug 2013

Scientists identify protein that blocks death of high-risk acute lymphoblastic leukemia cells

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital scientists have identified a protein that certain high-risk acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) cells need to survive and have used that knowledge to fashion a more effective method of killing tumor cells. The findings appear in the August 29 edition of the journal Blood.

30 Aug 2013

LLS survey uncovers alarming lack of knowledge among U.S. adults about blood cancers

Less than one half (46%) of adults polled in a new survey believe that blood cancers are one of three leading causes of cancer death in the U.S. In fact, blood cancers are the third leading cause of cancer death, behind cancers of the respiratory system, including lung cancer, and cancers of the digestive system, including colorectal cancer.

30 Aug 2013

FDA approves NDA filing for ibrutinib inhibitor in two B-cell malignancies

Pharmacyclics, Inc. (Nasdaq: PCYC) today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted for filing its New Drug Application (NDA) for the investigational oral Bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitor ibrutinib, for two B-cell malignancy indications: previously treated mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) and previously treated chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL)/small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL).

29 Aug 2013

Tumor Suppressor May Actually Drive Cancer Development

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28 Aug 2013

URI professor studies rare hereditary disorder Fanconi anemia in children

When 2-year-old Logan Stevenson served as best man at his parents' wedding just days before he died of a rare genetic disorder, it drew international attention to a disease about which few people had ever heard. Hearing about Logan's story added another level of urgency to the research being conducted by University of Rhode Island Associate Professor Niall Howlett.

28 Aug 2013

Study shows ABL kinases have enhanced expression and activity in CML

Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia (CML) is a cancer of the white blood cells that is most commonly found in adults and in the elderly. Its incidence has been estimated to be 1 to 2 in 100,000 people. CML was the first cancer to be associated with a genetic abnormality, known as the Philadelphia Chromosome, which 95% of all CML patients carry in their cells.

28 Aug 2013

USF professor studies ethics of RCT and efficacy in outcomes of new treatments

University of South Florida Distinguished Professor Benjamin Djulbegovic, MD, PhD, has studied the ethics of randomized clinical trials and their effectiveness in evaluating the outcomes of new treatments for decades.

28 Aug 2013

Scientists discover mechanisms of GATA3 gene that govern blood stem cell self-renewal process

Stem cell scientists at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre have discovered the gene GATA3 has a role in how blood stem cells renew themselves, a finding that advances the quest to expand these cells in the lab for clinical use in bone marrow transplantation, a procedure that saves thousands of lives every year.

26 Aug 2013

Drug to treat blood cancers may also stop spread of invasive breast cancer

A drug used to treat blood cancers may also stop the spread of invasive breast cancer, researchers at Mayo Clinic in Florida have discovered. Their study, published online in Breast Cancer Research, found that in the lab and in animals, the drug decitabine turns on a gene coding for protein kinase D1 (PRKD1) that halts the ability of cancer cells to separate from a tumor and spread to distant organs.

23 Aug 2013

Researchers identify gene that contributes to development of acute myeloid leukemia

Researchers at the University of Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center (UCCCC) have identified a gene that contributes to the development of acute myeloid leukemia (AML). This pivotal finding follows 40 years of University of Chicago research that has slowly unraveled the genetic basis of leukemia.

21 Aug 2013

Children with gene amplification may require more aggressive treatment for ALL

A recent study by members of the Children's Oncology Group reports results of a large trial showing that children whose leukemia cells have amplification of a portion of chromosome 21 may require more aggressive treatment for Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) than children without this gene amplification.

21 Aug 2013

Powerful mechanism helps viruses evade body's immune response

Researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies have discovered a powerful mechanism by which viruses such as influenza, West Nile and Dengue evade the body's immune response and infect humans with these potentially deadly diseases. The findings may provide scientists with an attractive target for novel antiviral therapies.

19 Aug 2013

Leukemia News and Research

Further Reading

Researchers discover inherited gene mutation linked to childhood leukemia

Scientists identify RNA regulator that plays critical role in proper functioning of hESCs

Researchers discover why multiple myeloma persistently escapes cure

Researchers identify genetic link specific to risk of childhood leukemia

Study: Changes in expression of various isoforms might play role in cancer development

Roche's Herceptin formulation wins EU approval for treatment of HER2-positive breast cancer

Nanostructures made of DNA strands can encapsulate, release small-molecule drugs

New delivery system for combination of 2 FDA approved drugs to fight HIV

Scientists identify protein that blocks death of high-risk acute lymphoblastic leukemia cells

LLS survey uncovers alarming lack of knowledge among U.S. adults about blood cancers

FDA approves NDA filing for ibrutinib inhibitor in two B-cell malignancies

Tumor Suppressor May Actually Drive Cancer Development

URI professor studies rare hereditary disorder Fanconi anemia in children

Study shows ABL kinases have enhanced expression and activity in CML

USF professor studies ethics of RCT and efficacy in outcomes of new treatments

Scientists discover mechanisms of GATA3 gene that govern blood stem cell self-renewal process

Drug to treat blood cancers may also stop spread of invasive breast cancer

Researchers identify gene that contributes to development of acute myeloid leukemia

Children with gene amplification may require more aggressive treatment for ALL

Powerful mechanism helps viruses evade body's immune response

Bringing real-time analytics to downstream bioprocess monitoring

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

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