Marc R. Mansour, MD, PhD, FRCPath

Discovery and targeting of neomorphic enhancer mutations of oncogenes (NEMOs) in T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia

In acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, we recently discovered mutations in ‘junk DNA’ that can activate cancer-causing genes (oncogenes). Such mutations loosen up tightly knotted DNA, leading to activation of the nearby oncogene. We believe this is a common cause of leukaemia formation that could be exploited therapeutically with newly available drugs