Media release

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A new study has uncovered molecular markers in blood at birth that are linked to later development of acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL), the most common cancer type that affects children.

These markers were also present in cancerous tissues from children with leukaemia, and they served as indicators of patient survival. The research, published in Molecular Cancer, offers new hope for early diagnosis and potential therapeutic interventions in childhood cancer, which is the leading cause of death among diseases in children.

The study, led by scientists from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) in collaboration with 17 partner institutions worldwide including Murdoch Children’s Research Institute (MCRI), used an innovative approach to trace the molecular origins of cancer back to birth.

The researchers profiled molecular maps in patients at various stages: birth, diagnosis, remission and recurrence.

At the core of these maps is the epigenome, which intricately weaves DNA strands into a molecular imprint of nature and nurture: what our genes provide, and how the environment influences them. This allows the epigenome to capture a molecular snapshot – a kind of diary – of early-life factors that the baby was exposed to during pregnancy.

Available for interview:

MCRI Professor Terry Dwyer