Andalusian researchers will develop a type of childhood leukemia cell model.

Andalusia, 2011-July A research group belonging to the Health Department of the Board of Andalusia and led by Dr. Pablo Menéndez, Coordinator of the area of cells BioBank Andalusia mother, carried out a research project for the development of cellular models designed to decipher the origin and the pathogenesis of linflobástica in infant leukemia.

The work to be held in Granada, has been selected by the Spanish Association against cancer (aecc) for the endowment of one of only two aid granted by the institution at the national level to research on childhood cancer projects. Thus, details have been known in the morning on Monday during the signing of a cooperation agreement between the Association and Foundation public Andalusian progress and health as a central body for support and management of the research of the Ministry of health.

The signing of the Convention, which sets out the amount of 150,000 euros to the project and distributed in three annual instalments, has counted with the presence of the general director of quality, research and management of the knowledge of the Ministry of health, Carmen Cortes; the managing director of the Andalusian progress public foundation and health, Juan Jesus banner; the principal investigator of the project, Pablo Menendez; and the President of the Spanish Association against cancer, Isabel Oriol.

They all agreed on the relevance of a project of this nature and the importance of financial support from various sources of funding and collaborations and ties of cooperation between different entities.

A disease of poor prognosis

The project funded, according to detailed research, is based on a type of leukemia, specifically, an acute lymphoblastic leukaemia that affects children under the age of six months and that, unfortunately, has a prognosis fatal: in five years, 72% of patients died, so the survival rate is very low, 28% ”.

The work focuses on the development of cellular models aimed at deciphering the cellular origin and pathogenesis of this leukemia now that, in the words of Menéndez, is necessary that we have a model of this disease to study in the laboratory, imitate, and, therefore, develop some therapeutic approaches ”. Because the models developed in mice reproduce latency or the phenotype of the disease.

In this sense, the research group will work in the generation of two cellular models for this disease: one with human embryonic stem cells and other stem cells reprogrammed (iPS), with which can analyze the behavior of this leukemia and possible therapeutic ways from different approaches. Thus, the principal investigator of the project emphasised that both models allow a valuable epidemiological approach to the study of this disease, as know that it generates in the uterus of the mother and the fetus develops leukemia because it mutates the MLL gene due to the intake of the mother of actors genotoxic (those that damage the DNA and may cause mutations) ”. For the researchers is essential to know what should be avoided the mother to disease did not reach the child.

The project, called Infant MLL-BF4 + pro-B Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia: towards the elucidation of the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying MLL-BF4-mediated transformation in human stem cells, with the collaboration of different centers in the country: the Hospital Virgen del Rocío of Sevilla, the Hospital Universitario Niño Jesus of the CNIO, Madrid, the University Institute of Oncology of the Principality of Asturias (IUOPA).

The first Andalusian award-winning project

The Spanish Association against cancer annually Announces grants for research projects on cancer in patterns of adult and child and, with the choice of this project is the first time awarding to a research group in the autonomous community. In total, and according to the Association, to the form of childhood cancer was presented around around 30 projects.

Andalusia currently has two active aid in collaboration with the national entity; on the one hand, the work already referenced and, on the other hand, a contract postdoctoral fellow with an Andalusian investigator, René Rodríguez, also attached to the group led by Dr. Pablo Menendez for the development of various research projects related to cancer that started in 2009.

The aecc promotes cancer research through its scientific foundation, launched in 1971 in order to manage all the applications received for the call for aid to research aimed at the promotion of scientific practice in this field.