Chromosomal abnormalities are thought to account for 10 to 20 percent of cases and duplication of chromosome 15q11-13 is the only recurrent aberration so far linked to the disease.

In the new study, Takumi's team generated mice with a duplication of a region on their chromosome 7, mirroring the autism-linked abnormality seen in humans.

This study was to explore the clinical significance of FLT3 internal tandem duplication (FLT3/ITD) in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with chromosome abnormality.