David Gordon, MD, PhD at Dana Farber Cancer Institute is a CureSearch Young Investigator examining the impact of trisomy 8 on acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Of the 500 children diagnosed with AML each year, between 10-20% of an extra chromosome 8, called trisomy 8.

Dr. Gordon suspects that trisomy 8 contributes to the creation of cancerous cells because certain genes are expressed when an abnormal number of chromosomes are present. Using three cell lines he previously developed, Dr. Gordon spent the first year of his CureSearch grant screening the cell lines for new AML target genes and investigating the impact of trisomy 8 in blood cell development.

In the coming year, Dr. Gordon will explore how these genes, and their interaction with trisomy 8, lead to the development of AML.

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