In a potentially huge development a team of researchers from the University of Washington have found an indicator of the gene which causes childhood leukaemia. The discovery was reported over the weekend by the journal Nature Genetics.

“We're in unchartered territory,” said study author Kenneth Offit, MD, MPH, Chief of Clinical Genetics Service at Washington’s Memorial Sloan-Kettering, “at the very least this discovery gives us a new window into inherited causes of childhood leukaemia. More immediately, testing for this mutation may allow affected families to prevent leukaemia in future generations.”

A key part of the discovery was the investigation of one family wherein several members of different generations had been diagnosed with childhood acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL). Examinations were compared with an unrelated but also leukaemia-prone family which was found to have the same mutation. A series of experiments were conducted confirming that the observed mutation compromised the normal function of a particular gene, increasing the risk of developing ALL.

The findings could go a long way to understanding and treating leukaemia in the future, currently ALL is the most common form of cancer for kids, with thousands diagnosed worldwide every month.

“With a better understanding of the genetic elements that induce cancer susceptibility, or drive cancer to grow, we can more precisely target therapy as well as potentially prevent cancer from occurring in the first place,” Dr. Offit added.

The new report is available here.