We aim to createa disease-in-a-dish model to understand myeloid leukemia in children with Down syndrome (ML-DS). Trisomy 21 (T21), or Down syndrome (DS), is a genetic condition caused by an extra copy of chromosome 21. This leads to developmental differences, including distinct blood cell abnormalities. Young children with DS have a higher risk of developing blood cancers, which begins with a pre-leukemic condition, transient abnormal myelopoiesis (TAM), before birth, after acquiring a genetic change in the GATA1 gene. Later it can develop into leukemia if more mutations arise.
