Art and Science of Laboratory Medicine

Art and Science of Laboratory Medicine

Saturday, January 23, 2016

Scientists use protein-blocker to stop the spread of leukaemia

Acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) is one of the most aggressive and damaging types of cancer there is: it appears without much warning and the five-year survival rate for sufferers is just 24 percent. However, improved treatments could soon be on the way, as researchers from the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute in Melbourne, Australia have identified a protein that's crucial to the spread of the blood cancer.

The protein in question is called the Hhex protein, and by cutting off its production, the team has shown the cancer can be stopped in its tracks - in laboratory conditions, at least. The next step is to see whether the same 'handbrake' mechanism would work in humans, but the initial signs are promising.

Read more:
Scientists use protein-blocker to stop the spread of leukaemia

Source:  ScienceAlert

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