Find out the genetic map of cancer

US scientists have found 10 gene mutations that are crucial for the development of leukemia in a woman.

Washington University researchers (USA) took two tissue samples from a woman in her fifties with acute myeloid leukemia for DNA analysis. One sample is taken from healthy skin tissue, the other from bone marrow tissue with cancer.

They found that almost every cell in cancer tissue has 10 differences in gene structure compared to healthy tissue, of which two mutations were detected from previous studies.

Hematopoietic cells in the bone marrow have cancer.(Photo: BBC)

Three of the newly discovered mutations are found in genes that block the growth of cancer cells. Four other mutations are among the genes involved in the spread of cancer. The remaining mutations interfere with the introduction of drugs into the cells, making the treatments ineffective.

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a cancer that attacks hematopoietic cells in the bone marrow. It comes from gene mutations in the human body since we were born. However, until now, scientists have not found the nature of these mutations and the mechanism that helps them cut off " signaling pathways from the brain " to cause uncontrolled cell development.

Francis Collins, geneticist, former director of the US National Institute of Genetic Studies, calls the University of Washington's discovery "a historic turning point in cancer research".

"This achievement opens a new era in the fight against cancer. It helps the scientific community better understand the basic nature of cancer and helps us find effective diagnostic, prevention and treatment measures. fruit, " he said.

Researchers continue to look for other gene mutations in cancerous bone marrow tissue.