Scientists in the US have unveiled the reason why form of leukemia transforms from its more-treatable chronic phase to a life-threatening phase called blast crisis.

The revealed to have discovered chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) progresses when immature white blood cells lose a molecule called miR-328.

The principal investigator Danilo Perrotti, associate professor of molecular virology, immunology and medical genetics and a member of the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center-Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC-James) claimed, "These findings indicate that the loss of miR-328 is probably essential for progression from the chronic phase of the disease to the blast crisis stage".

As per the researchers, the study is cited to extend a much better mode for understanding the blast-crisis stage of CML. Also, they suggest a possible new treatment strategy for the disease.

Moreover, the research seems to introduce a new role for microRNA, which scientists believe that these molecules may help in controlling the types of proteins that cells generate.

The study has been published in the March 5th issue of the journal Cell.