Researchers from the Wellcome-MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute (CSCI), the University of Cambridge’s Department of Hematology and the Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria del Principado de Asturias (ISPA) have developed a new test to detect individuals at risk of developing different myeloid leukemias.
Named MN-predict, the new platform will enable doctors and scientists to detect individuals at risk early and design new treatments for preventing the development of these potentially deadly cancers. Researchers have analyzed data from over 400,000 participants in the United Kingdom Biobank.
Utilizing this data, they have developed a new platform to forecast the likelihood of developing blood cancers, such as myelodysplastic syndromes, myeloproliferative neoplasms and myeloid leukemia, over a period of 10-15 years.
Currently offered at NHS clinics, the test involves patients giving a blood sample, which is used to extract DNA for limited sequencing, along with basic blood cell counts.
With this information, MN-predict can identify individuals with a high risk of developing any of these cancers. It can be deployed within specialist clinics focused on leukemia prevention. The study’s Senior Author, Professor George Vassiliou, said “we all know that prevention is better than cure, but it is not easy to prevent diseases like leukemia without knowing who is at risk. MN-predict makes it possible to identify at-risk individuals and we hope it can become an essential part of future leukemia prevention programs.”
REFERENCE: Medical Device Network (UK); 25 AUG 2023