“Awareness makes a cure possible…”
Sydney Davies
Earlier this week was International CML day. Chronic Myeloid Leukaemia is almost exclusively the result of an acquired genetic mutation, known as the Philadelphia chromosome. This DNA error, specially a reciprocal translocation, is the result of fragments from Chromosome 9 and 22 changing places. This exchange results in a pathological fusion gene BCR:ABL 1, which codes for and produces high levels of an activation tyrosine kinase protein that triggers uncontrolled white blood cell division. The key, and game changing therapy for CML is logically a tyrosine kinase inhibitor. These were developed about 25 years ago. The CML gene was first discovered and mapped in 1960 at the University of Pennsylvania, hence the Philadelphia chromosome. If you are clever you will be able to use this blog to workout the date of international CML day. #sevenyearson #letsmakelemonade
