Malaria Linked to Childhood Blood Cancer

Burkitt lymphoma, a cancer that impacts a subset of immune cells called B cells, develops most often in children and young adults.  Patients with Burkitt lymphoma exhibit elevated levels of a protein called activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID), which acts as an enzyme to accelerate a genetic process known as “translocation.”  In cases of Burkitt lymphoma, AID promotes translocation of MYC, a gene that codes for cellular functions like…