Kidney cancer therapy treats leukaemia patient into remission Posted on July 12, 2012February 25, 2018 by Carly du Toit Leukaemia patient, Dr Lukas Wartman. Source: the New York Times After facing death just eight months ago, a leukaemia cancer patient is in remission following treatment with a drug tested and approved only for advanced kidney cancer. This is thanks to the findings of a complete and complex genetic sequence undertaken by researchers at the University of Washington. The research team used a type of analysis that had never been done before: the patient’s cancer cells, his healthy cells and his RNA (a close chemical cousin to DNA) were all sequenced in order to discover a rogue gene working to spur the cancer’s growth. The patient, a cancer researcher himself – Dr Lukas Wartman – had been diagnosed with adult acute lymphoblastic leukaemia and was deteriorating quickly. But this study revealed a particular gene which was releasing large and unusual amounts of a protein that encourages cell growth. Continue reading “Kidney cancer therapy treats leukaemia patient into remission”
