(
Walter and Eliza Hall Institute) Australian researchers have uncovered a key factor protecting against age-related DNA damage, providing important clues about how our body guards against cancer.The discovery was made by identifying a rare genetic mutation in three patients with an unusual, early-onset form of acute myeloid leukaemia (AML). The patients all lacked a DNA repair protein called MBD4, which led to them accumulating DNA damage at a higher rate than normal -- as though they were ageing prematurely.
