A recent independent study cites using HemaCare-sourced immune cells to investigate a protein involved in gene activation during hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) development. [1]
The study, published by scientists at the Yokohama Institute in Japan, is focused on the function of a protein known as RUNX1. The reason RUNX1 is of particular interest is that it’s implicated in the development of a number of different types of cancer, including breast cancer, skin cancer, and acute myeloid leukemia. [2] In the latter case, defects in the gene that codes for the RUNX1 protein disrupt stem cell differentiation. This means that instead of normal development into mature cell types, there is a massive build-up of blast cells in the bone marrow, which is the hallmark of leukemia. Scientists have known since 2001 [3] that the RUNX1 protein is involved in the differentiation of hematopoietic stem cells into mature blood cells. But in order to target RUNX1’s role in cancer development, researchers need a much more in-depth knowledge of exactly how the protein is exerting its function.
