Dr Charlotta Boiers - Lund University

From development to malignancy: Modelling the origin of childhood leukaemia

Acute leukaemia is among the most frequent cancers in children, primarily affecting the lymphoid lineage. Paediatric acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) differs from its adult counterpart in several ways, including a higher incidence rate, better prognosis, and distinct mutational spectra. Furthermore, many of the initiating mutations in childhood leukaemia have been shown to occur during fetal development, creating pre-leukemic clones that are predisposed to progress to leukaemia upon acquiring additional mutations. My research lab focuses on understanding the early pre-leukemic events that initiate this disease and exploring why the fetal hematopoietic environment is particularly vulnerable to these changes.

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