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The
Frankfurt Center for Molecular
MLL diagnosis was initiated
a year ago by
Prof. Dr. Theo Dingermann and
Prof. Dr. Rolf Marschalek,
Institute for Pharmaceutical
Biology at the Johann Wolfgang
Goethe-University, and Prof.
Dr. Thomas Klingebiel,
Center of the children clinic
II at the University of the
Frankfurt clinic. The Center
has quickly developed into an
internationally accepted reference
center for the diagnosis of
the so-called high risk leukemia.
High risk leukemia includes
all leukemia which can be characterized
by a chromosomal translocation
of the MLL-gene, such as the
acute lymphoid leukemia (ALL)
and the acute myeloid leukemia
(AML). The Frankfurt scientists
developed a novel method, for
which they filed a patent, to
identify and characterize known
and unknown MLL translocations.
This method is the basis for
a patient specific detection
assay („minimal residual
disease monitoring"), which
is able to identify a single
cancer cell out of 100,000 to
1,000,000 normal blood cells.
Based on the high sensitivity
of this assay the diagnosis
centers of England, France,
Italy and Chechnya, in addition
to the Netherlands, Austria
and Germany, will have their
samples analyzed in Frankfurt.
As a result the reference center,
which is supported by the Wilhelm-Sander
Foundation in Munich, is performing
the diagnosis for all affected
patients in Europe.
The diagnosis method, of this
group at the JWG University,
is not the only thing worth
mentioning. Adelheid Bursen,
from Prof. Dr. Marschalek’s
group at the Institute for Pharmaceutical
Biology at the Johann Wolfgang
Goethe-University Frankfurt,
received a prize for best presentation
at the Biennal Hannover Symposium
on Childhood Leukemia, May 3
to 5, 2004. This is an international
congress in Celle, including
several hundred experts from
43 countries and four continents.
The group identified the molecular
patho-mechanism responsible
for the manifestation and development
of the t(4;11)- childhood leukemia.
The development of an adequate
drug can be started as early
as next year, in cooperation
with the pharmaceutical industry,
if this patho-mechanism is confirmed
in animal tests.
For more information contact:
Prof. Dr. Rolf Marschalek
Institute for Pharmaceutical
Biology
Phone: 069-798-29647
E-Mail: r.marschalek@zafes.de
An additional
article covering this topic
was published on June 3 rd,
2004 in “Forschung Frankfurt
(Prof. Dr. Rolf Marschalek and
Prof. Dr. Thomas Klingebiel:
„Akute Hochrisiko-Leukämie
bei Kindern” (Acute high
risk leukemia in children).
The figure shows the large
area where the Reference Center
for the Diagnosis of High Risk
Leukemia provides its innovative
diagnosis technique.
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