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Down syndrome and leukemia: from basic mechanisms to clinical advancesChildren with Down syndrome (DS, trisomy 21) are at a significantly higher risk of developing acute leukemia compared to the overall population. Many studies investigating the link between trisomy 21 and leukemia initiation and progression have been conducted over the last two decades.
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Disruption of cotranscriptional splicing suggests that RBM39 is a therapeutic target in acute lymphoblastic leukemiaThere are few options for patients with relapse/refractory B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia, thus this is a major area of unmet medical need. Here, we reveal that inclusion of a poison exon in RBM39, which could be induced both by CDK9 or CDK9 independent CMGC (cyclin-dependent kinases, mitogen-activated protein kinases, glycogen synthase kinases, CDC-like kinases) kinase inhibition, is recognized by the nonsense-mediated mRNA decay pathway for degradation.
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Transcriptional rewiring in CD8+ T cells: implications for CAR-T cell therapy against solid tumoursT cells engineered to express chimeric-antigen receptors (CAR-T cells) can effectively control relapsed and refractory haematological malignancies in the clinic. However, the successes of CAR-T cell therapy have not been recapitulated in solid tumours due to a range of barriers such as immunosuppression, poor infiltration, and tumour heterogeneity.

The Translational Genomics in Leukaemia team is focused on identifying the causes of leukaemia, with the goal of developing new targeted treatments to improve quality of care and long-term survival for all children with leukaemia.
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Targeting DYRK1A: a key player in Down syndrome LeukaemogenesisSébastien Malinge PhD Laboratory Head, Translational Genomics in Leukaemia, Ursula Kees Fellow (CCRF), Cancer Council WA Fellow (CCWA), Senior
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Preclinical Assessment of Dactinomycin in KMT2A-Rearranged Infant Acute Lymphoblastic LeukemiaInfants with KMT2A-rearranged B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) have high rates of relapse and poor survival compared with children. Few new therapies have been identified over the past twenty years. The aim of this study was to identify existing anti-cancer agents that have the potential to be repurposed for the treatment of infant ALL.
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Constitutive Activation of RAS/MAPK Pathway Cooperates with Trisomy 21 and Is Therapeutically Exploitable in Down Syndrome B-cell LeukemiaChildren with Down syndrome (constitutive trisomy 21) that develop acute lymphoblastic leukemia (DS-ALL) have a 3-fold increased likelihood of treatment-related mortality coupled with a higher cumulative incidence of relapse, compared with other children with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL).
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Building the Future Therapies for Down Syndrome: The Third International Conference of the T21 Research SocietyResearch focused on Down syndrome has increased in the last several years to advance understanding of the consequences of trisomy 21 (T21) on molecular and cellular processes and, ultimately, on individuals with Down syndrome. The Trisomy 21 Research Society (T21RS) is the premier scientific organization for researchers and clinicians studying Down syndrome.
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It is more “unbalanced” than you thinkSébastien Malinge PhD Laboratory Head, Translational Genomics in Leukaemia, Ursula Kees Fellow (CCRF), Cancer Council WA Fellow (CCWA), Senior
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Insights into the Clinical, Biological and Therapeutic Impact of Copy Number Alteration in CancerCopy number alterations (CNAs), resulting from the gain or loss of genetic material from as little as 50 base pairs or as big as entire chromosome(s), have been associated with many congenital diseases, de novo syndromes and cancer. It is established that CNAs disturb the dosage of genomic regions including enhancers/promoters, long non-coding RNA and gene(s) among others, ultimately leading to an altered balance of key cellular functions.