Researchers from the US and Israel have created a straightforward blood test that can identify a person’s risk of leukemia, a fatal blood cancer.
The more invasive bone marrow sampling procedure currently used to diagnosis some blood malignancies may be replaced by this test, according to the study’s authors, who published their findings in the journal Nature Medicine, according to Xinhua news agency.
The group, headed by scientists from Israel’s Weizmann Institute of Science, concentrated on myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), an age-related disorder characterized by improper development of blood-forming stem cells.
Acute myeloid leukemia, one of the most prevalent forms of adult blood malignancy, can develop from MDS and cause severe anemia.
The bone marrow sampling method, which requires local anesthesia and can be quite painful, is currently necessary to diagnose MDS.
The researchers found that vital information regarding early indicators of MDS is carried by rare stem cells, which can occasionally exit the bone marrow and reach the bloodstream.
They were able to analyze these cells from a typical blood sample and find early indicators of illness by using sophisticated single-cell genomic sequencing.
Additionally, the researchers discovered that these circulating stem cells can function as a biological “clock,” providing information about an individual’s age.
These cells alter more quickly in men than in women, which could contribute to the higher incidence of blood malignancies in men.
The researchers also found that guys’ populations shift earlier than women’s, which raises the risk of cancer, and that the migratory stem cells can act as a clock for our chronological age. Dr. Nili Furer of Weizmann remarked, “This finding may explain the higher prevalence of blood cancers among men.”
According to the researchers, this blood test could potentially aid in the future detection of additional age-related blood illnesses.
They pointed out that numerous medical facilities across the globe are testing the results in a comprehensive clinical investigation.