Karachi
January 21, 2021
The Aga Khan Universityâs Centre for Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research (CRM) has won a Rs14.5 million grant to develop new, targeted therapies for a common form of blood cancer in adults, Philadelphia chromosome positive (Ph+) leukaemia.
The chromosomal defect known as Philadelphia chromosome (Ph) is a characteristic of two important types of blood cancer: chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) and Ph positive acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (Ph+ ALL). The Ph chromosome is formed when chromosome 9 and 22 break and exchange portions which leads to creation of a new fusion gene called BCR-ABL. This fusion causes certain blood cells to become cancerous.