Glycoscience Leukemia Breakthrough

Scientists have found that leukemia cells have altered cell surface carbohydrates. This is a remarkable discovery and may change how cancer it treated.

When glycoprotein receptor sites on the surface of human cells become deformed, they can kill you. It is from these little antenna all communication is made to support life. You have some 56 quintillion receptor sites (give or take a few trillion). Every single antenna is constructed from Smart Sugars.

When your body does not have enough Smart Sugars, it can manufacture them from glucose and other sugars present. However, the enzymatic gymnastics require so much time and energy that the job is not finished properly. When the job is not finished, the receptors are deformed and malfunction with corrupted signals.

Researchers at Griffith University's Institute for Glycomics in Australia and The Saban Research Institute of Children's Hospital Los Angeles have discovered that leukaemic cells have altered cell surface carbohydrates compared to normal cells. Altered cell surface carbohydrates is a critical weakness in leukaemic cells. This knowledge may pave the way for new cancer treatments.

Professor Mark von Itzstein is Director of Griffith University's Institute for Glycomics and the Australian team leader. He said the discovery is an important advance against leukemia, a cancer of malignant white blood cells that multiply uncontrollably.

Professors Nora Heisterkamp and John Groffen, leaders of the US-based team and Professor von Itzstein and their colleagues have published their research findings in the latest edition of the internationally acclaimed Journal of Experimental Medicine.

We know removal of healthy glycoproteins from the surface of healthy cells will kill healthy cell. So, the immediate response of the researchers is to remove the altered glycoproteins from the cancerous cells thereby killing the cell. Sounds good, but...

Could it be that the scientists are looking through the wrong end of the microscope? It seems more plausible to improve the immune system by making more healthy glycoprotein receptor sites instead of killing the unhealthy cells. That is the job of the immune system. You may be able to do that with additional Smart Sugars in the body which will cut down on the time and energy required for enzymatic gymnastics.

Symptoms and Signs of Leukemia

A sign can be defined as something that can be recognized and observed by a healthcare professional or a doctor. A symptom on the other hand is something that can be recognized by the person who is experiencing it. These symptoms and signs of leukemia can also be caused by various other chronic health conditions. Thus it is extremely important to always have an unusual check for symptoms from a good doctor. Acute leukemia has symptoms and signs that may be similar to the flu and can come on suddenly within a few weeks or days. On the other hand chronic leukemia has symptoms that can gradually develop and people will then complain that they do not feel very well. This disease is discovered when a routine blood test is done.

Rare symptoms and signs

The rare symptoms and signs of leukemia are as follows.

• Choroma

This is a tumor like collection that consists of leukemia cells and it is present under the skin and or other parts of the body.

• Skin changes

Leukemia cutis can occur when the cells of leukemia cell enter the skin. The patches and sores can be of any particular size and are usually tan or pink in color.

Leukocytoclastic vasculitis can resemble a very allergic reaction on the skin of the person suffering. The sores can usually appear on the hands and also feet.

The sweet's syndrome includes painful sores and fever that can appear anywhere on the patient's body.

Blood count

A complete blood count must be done in order to measure the quality and number of the white blood cells, platelets and red blood cells. The leukemia is mostly suspected when the cell counts of the blood are abnormal and the blood cells are not looking very normal. The abnormal blood cell counts may be due to various other conditions and can be extremely abnormal. These abnormal blood counts may be due to various other conditions and leukemia. The blasts may not exactly occur normally in the blood so the leukemia is suspected if the blasts are present. It is one of the important things to remember.