Identification of novel prognostic factors genome-wide DNA methylation analysis in pediatric acute myeloid leukemia.

2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 20K17414
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 54010:Hematology and medical oncology-related
• Research Institution: Gunma University (2022); Gunma Institute of Public Health and Environmental Sciences (2020-2021)
• Principal Investigator: Yamato Genki 群馬大学, 医学部附属病院, 助教 (90825720)
• Project Period (FY): 2020-04-01 – 2023-03-31
• Keywords: DNAメチル化 / 小児急性骨髄性白血病

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Although the long-term survival rate of pediatric acute myeloid leukemia (AML) has increased to 60-70% with stratified therapy based on molecular abnormalities and response to therapy, the prognosis is still not good. Recently, DNA methylation has begun to attract attention as a new biomarker for AML. To clarify the relationship between DNA methylation patterns and clinical presentation, molecular biological background, and prognosis in pediatric AML, we performed DNA methylation analysis on 64 patients enrolled in the AML-05 clinical trial.
We found a strong correlation between DNA methylation patterns and molecular background, and identified a group of patients characterized by high DNA methylation patterns as having a particularly poor prognosis.

Free Research Field

小児血液学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

現在がん領域においては次世代シーケンサーを使用した網羅的な解析が主流となってきたが、小児急性骨髄性白血病(AML)の40%近くはまだ予後を層別するバイオマーカーが見つからない状態であり、治療決定の根拠として新たなバイオマーカーの同定は必要不可欠となってきている。本研究ではDNAメチル化パターンがAMLの分子生物学的特徴と相関し、更には予後と密接に関連することを報告した。この成果は今後小児AMLにおいて治療層別化のための重要なバイオマーカーとなる可能性を示しており、より適切なリスク層別を行うことで小児AMLの予後を改善する可能性を示した重要な結果である。