 |  |  | | | SCIENTISTS CLOSE IN ON GENETIC HOTSPOTS | | | | |
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Release Date: 28th February 2002
Doctors from the University of Dundee have today been awarded a grant of £37,000 from the Leukaemia Research Fund (LRF) to push forward with their pioneering research. Their studies will shed further light on the causes of acute myeloid leukaemia (AML), a cancer diagnosed in 1,600 people in the UK each year, and also help to improve its treatment.
Dr David Bowen - who is based at Ninewells Hospital - is looking to identify the genetic mistakes that cause this disease. "Genetic changes - called mutations - within three specific genes are known to occur in up to one quarter of all AML patients," he explains.
"We need to extend our research to see precisely how these genes are sabotaged and to look for other genetic hotspots.
"The detection of such abnormalities has already proved to be vital in finding new treatments for other forms of leukaemia. This work will allow us to generate essential information about this disease," he adds.
Dr Bowen and his team will be analyzing blood samples from approximately 1,200 AML patients from across the UK.
Dr David Grant, Scientific Director of Leukaemia Research Fund, comments: "Leukaemia treatment is moving into a new era where therapies will be matched to the individual requirements of each patient. This work will take us ever closer to that goal."
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