Researchers at the University of Birmingham have developed a new laboratory model to study myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), a precursor to the more aggressive acute myeloid leukemia (AML).

This innovative model, created using induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from patients, holds promise for drug screening experiments aimed at discovering treatments for aggressive blood cancers like MDS and AML.

Lead author Dr. Paloma Garcia emphasized that the model allows for accurate recreation of cancer-related mutations, which is crucial for understanding disease progression.

The study, published in Nature Communications, confirms that a mutation in the CEBPA gene plays a crucial role in the transition from MDS to AML.

Research demonstrated that introducing the CEBPA mutation to patient-derived cells resulted in a reduction of healthy cells and an increase in aberrant cells, mimicking the patient's disease progression.

Prof. Constanze Bonifer noted that the presence of the CEBPA mutation alters gene activity and DNA organization in blood cells, pushing them toward malignancy.

The findings published in the journal Nature Communications highlight the unique contributions of this research to understanding the dynamics of blood cancers.