Study points to DNA test for myelodysplasia blood disorder:
This article was originally published in Clinica
Executive Summary
A US team is working on a promising DNA test for the early diagnosis of a serious blood disorder that can lead to bone marrow failure and acute myelogenous leukemia. Myelodysplastic syndrome, diagnosed in about 15,000 to 20,000 people a year, is often difficult to distinguish from readily treatable, nonmalignant forms of bone marrow disease. Therapeutic options for the condition are expected to be improved with early diagnosis. The new test, described in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (April 6), is being developed by researchers from the Pacific Northwest Research Institute in Seattle. It is performed on white cells extracted from a small volume of the patient's blood. The DNA is analysed by a technique called Fourier transform-infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy in conjunction with statistical models.