Common mutation is culprit in acute leukemia relapse

Harvard stem cell scientists have identified a mutation in human cases of acute lymphoblastic leukemia that likely drives relapse. The research, published in Cancer Cell, could translate into improved patient care strategies for this particular blood cancer, which typically affects children but is more deadly in adults. Harvard Stem Cell Institute Principal Faculty member David Langenau, PhD, and his lab members in the Department of Pathology at Massachusetts General Hospital used zebrafish to search for rare, relapse-driving leukemia cells and then designed therapies that could kill these cells. Read more here.