A poisonous arsenic-based substance may one day be used in the treatment of acute leukemia, genetic researchers at the Human Genome Meeting 2002 (HGM2002) in Shanghai have learned.

The use of arsenical trioxide in the treatment of the often-fatal blood diseases was just one of the possible future treatments for fatal diseases such as cancer and leukemia outlined at HGM2002.

Chen Zhu, director with Chinese National Human Genome Center at Shanghai (CHGCS) and a prominent expert in China's genome research program, said Monday that he and his colleagues had found two genes related to a type of acute leukemia and were clear about the mechanism of controlling the genes.

Through years of experiments, scientists also found the poison, arsenical trioxide, can help cure leukemia. Scientists said judging from the current research, arsenical trioxide may have more functions in treating other kinds of leukemia.

International scientists completed sequencing of the human genome last year, opening an era in which the most fundamental causes of disease can be understood and targeted treatments can be developed.

However, there is still a long way to go for the scientists to achieve satisfactory results, said Sir Walther Bodmer, a senior expert in gene study, who organized the plenary session on cancer genomics Monday.

In 1972, scientists identified two chromosomes related to a certain kind of leukemia and it was not until 2000 that companies could produce effective genetic medicine for this disease, he said.

Sources said that though scientists have finished decoding the human genome, they so far can only confirm the functions of ten percent of the total. For most experts, the applicable research method is still to examine the genes one by one.

American scientist Mary-Claire King, who was the first to prove that breast cancer is inherited in some families, also attended Monday's meeting where she demonstrated the function of some genes in the process of inheritance.

The five-day HGM2002 was opened Sunday in Shanghai and over 1,100 scientists from across the world participated in the meeting.

The human genome meeting is an annual event arranged by the Human Genome Organization (HUGO) and it is the first time for China to host the meeting.

(Xinhua News Agency April 16, 2002)