Ravi Majeti Uncovers Mutation Acquisition of Blood-Forming Stem Cells in Leukemia

Aug. 31, 2012

Tackling the question of why some cells become cancerous, Ravi Majeti, MD, PhD, a NYSCF – Robertson Investigator, and researchers at Stanford University made a landmark discovery, with results published in Science and Translational Medicine. Their group hypothesized that hematopoietic stem cells (or blood-forming cells) acquire mutations that lead to blood cancers. By genetically sequencing blood-forming cells from leukemia patients, they identified a series of mutations and even the order in which they arose. This may explain why some leukemia patients relapse after treatment and point the way to more effective treatments.