Fruit fly studies help scientists swat aggressive relapsing leukemia

Using genetic information initially uncovered in fruit fly studies, scientists have developed a unique therapeutic strategy that stops an aggressive and deadly form of leukemia in laboratory models of the disease.Reporting their results in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, researchers say their findings provide strong evidence for developing clinical therapies that block what are called microRNAs to help treat acute myelogenous leukemia (AML). The study was led by scientists at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center and included a multi-institutional team of researchers.