Scientists have created a new test for identifying people at risk of developing acute myeloid leukaemia and related cancers, years before they do.
Reviewed by Danielle Ellis, B.Sc.Aug 24 2023 Scientists have created a new test for identifying people at risk of developing acute myeloid leukemia and related cancers, years before they do. The new platform, 'MN-predict', will allow doctors and scientists to identify those at risk and to design new treatments to prevent them from developing these potentially lethal cancers.
Using this data, the scientists have created "MN- predict", a platform for predicting the risk of developing blood cancers such as acute myeloid leukemia, myelodysplastic syndromes and myeloproliferative neoplasms over a 10-15-year period. This test, now available in NHS clinics, requires patients to provide a blood sample from which DNA is extracted for limited sequencing, alongside basic blood cell counts.
In the last few years, scientists discovered that these cancers develop over decades through the accumulation of DNA mutations in blood stem cells, the cells responsible for normal blood formation. These mutations encourage these stem cells to grow faster than normal and, as more mutations accumulate, they can progress towards leukemia. Thankfully, whilst mutations that promote cell growth are common, leukemia develops only in a small minority of cases.
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