In the near future, through genetic screening of neonatal blood, predict the risk of leukemia in children? This science fiction-like concept may really be realized.
was initiated by a leader in childhood cancer research. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has provided 5 years of funding. A research project called Record (NCT05014165) has been launched.
For more than a century, it is well known that if one identical twin suffers from childhood cancer, the other twin usually suffers from the same cancer. This leads to the hypothesis that childhood cancer is triggered by mutations occurring in the uterus. In 1998, Professor Mel Greaves demonstrated this theory that the same gene mutations appeared in identical twins, both of whom had cancer [1].
congenital and acquired
After that, several studies have shown that although the actual age of cancer may be more than ten years apart, identical twins suffering from childhood cancer have exactly the same genetic abnormalities. This illustrates the relative role of innate and acquired: primitive mutations in the uterus cause a tendency to develop cancer, which is triggered in some way after birth.
Acute leukemia is the most common childhood cancer and one of the main causes of death in children under the age of 15 [2].
But the main researchers of ReCord believe that prevention is still the main target .
1 About 70% of acute childhood leukemia is caused by chromosomal translocations that occur at the birth of . More than 20 gene mutations that cause childhood leukemia have been identified [2.3].
ReCord researchers hope to perform genetic analysis of blood at diagnosis and cord blood at birth in patients with leukemia to understand which cell line is the origin of leukemia, and what secondary mutations and other changes are present.
In fact, we have a list of known gene mutations. These mutations are the culprit for most childhood leukemias, which brings hope to pediatric leukemia patients. Children can use screening to predict who is at risk of cancer, and then their families can take steps to prevent the development of cancer [3]. From this we can see the necessity of umbilical cord blood for the diagnosis and treatment of leukemia in childhood.
In order to prevent childhood leukemia, we need to better understand what doctors call the "etiology" of childhood cancer, that is, how a genetic susceptibility is triggered to become an active disease [3]. The ReCord study will compare genetic analysis of patients with known leukemia risk factors, as well as other information collected from parental surveys in an effort to bridge the knowledge gap between leukemia susceptibility and diagnosis. Any future research on the origin of childhood leukemia, such as the recent proposal to evolve from two rather than one stem cell line of fetal blood cells, must be consistent with the evidence from the ReCord study [4]. The ultimate goal of
ReCord investigators is to develop gene detection that can be used for public health screening. To achieve this, the test must be accurate enough to identify children at risk without producing a large number of false positive results. Also, be sufficiently sensitive to dry blood spots. If both goals can be achieved, it would be a major advance in pediatric medicine and public health.
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Author / Frances Verte
Compilation / Swallow out of the forest Watch Sir
Type / Time Deep Lane
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