Prof Bryan Young

Bryan Young

Medical Oncology Laboratory
Barts & the London School of Medicine & Dentistry
London

Investigating faulty genes that cause leukaemia

Professor Bryan Young is studying the faulty genes and molecules that lead to leukaemia, a cancer of the white blood cells. His research focuses on acute myeloid leukaemia (AML), the commonest leukaemia in adults.

Professor Young and his team are using the latest technology to scan thousands of genes to find the faults that cause leukaemia. One particular genetic fault that is frequently linked to the development of AML is 'uniparental disomy'. This occurs when leukaemia cells acquire two copies of a chromosome (or part of a chromosome) from one parent and no copies from the other parent, leading to cancer.

The team is studying DNA samples taken from hundreds of AML patients. They aim to track down the areas of the chromosomes that are most often faulty in patients and are likely to play a key role in the disease.

Recently they discovered that leukaemia is more likely to return in patients with uniparental disomy compared with patients without this type of genetic fault. This information will help doctors to predict which patients will respond best to treatment.

'MicroRNAs'

Using gene-scanning technology, the scientists have also identified specific genes that appear to play a key role in AML. In particular, they have found that genes for very small RNA molecules called 'microRNAs' are switched on in leukaemia cells.

These microRNAs can control the activity of many other genes and, in some cases, they seem to contribute to cancer development. Targeting these microRNAs may help in the design of new treatments for AML.

Professor Young has been supported by Cancer Research UK since 1984. Thanks to his work, we now understand more about the genetic faults that lead to AML - knowledge that should allow doctors to treat leukaemia patients more effectively in the future.

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