Source: University of California, San Francisco
Date: August 16, 2010
Summary:
A University of California, San Francisco-led team has discovered at least one key reason why blood stem cells are susceptible to developing the genetic mutations that can lead to adult leukemia. Their finding also may explain, they say, why some other age-related hematological disorders develop. The study, reported in Cell Stem Cell (Aug. 6, 2010) and reviewed in Cell Stem Cell and Cell, opens a new frontier for studying the molecular underpinnings of adult leukemia. The discovery also suggests a possible therapeutic strategy, the scientists say, for reducing the risk of leukemia that results from chemotherapy used to treat solid tumors. Finally, it may explain why other types of adult stem cells are susceptible to accumulating potentially lethal mutations.
