An American study confirms the link between people with Down syndrome and those at a higher risk of developing leukaemia during childhood. 

This link was highlighted in a study conducted by the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (Boston) and published this week in the Nature Genetics journal. Research conducted on mice has shown that the HMGN1 gene is the common cause of both Down syndrome and leukaemia.      
These results are not only useful for people with Down syndrome but also for those at risk of developing leukaemia.