A newly-discovered link between a specific gene and B-cell acute lymphocytic leukemia could help make for an easier diagnosis of this particular type of cancer, reports a new study published in the medical journal Blood.
Cyndia Charfi, a doctoral biology student at the University of Quebec at Montreal, has managed to isolate a link between B-cell acute lymphocytic leukemia and excessive production of the Fmn2 gene.
Working under the supervision of her thesis advisors, Charfi first identified unusual Fmn2 activity in affected mice, before going on to confirm the association also existed in human cells as well.
B-cell acute lymphocytic leukemia most commonly occurs in children. It is only one of many different kinds of blood cancer, and these findings should allow doctors to quickly and accurately pinpoint – or rule out – this type of cancer, helping to ensure that patients receive timely and effective treatment.
"Although it is basic research, Cyndia Charfi’s findings represent a major advance and a step closer to improved diagnosis and, hopefully, treatment of this cancer, whose victims, we should recall, are mainly children," said Professor Éric Rassart, who supervised Charfi’s thesis work.