Blood arises from stem cells in the bone marrow; in patients with a myelodysplastic disorder (MDS), defective stem cells reprogram their neighbours in the marrow to create a ‘niche’ that promotes their own survival. But [s]HealthCanal[/s] reports that a from the [b]German Cancer Research Centre (Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, DKFZ)[/b] in collaboration with the [b]University Medical Centre Mannheim[/b], suggests that blocking the molecules involved in this process may lead to an effective therapy against this life-threatening blood disorder. The research suggests a potential to use drugs or antibodies to inhibit growth factors that are excessively produced by the re-programmed niche cells. Thus, the researchers hope to break the cycle and interfere early on in order to prevent MDS from progressing into leukaemia.
[link url=http://www.healthcanal.com/blood-heart-circulation/49525-abnormal-blood-stem-cells-reprogram-their-environment.html]Full HealthCanal report[/link]
[link url=http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24704494]NCBI abstract[/link]