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New research led by the Institute of Cancer Research in the UK has discovered that a gene mutation associated with leukemia may be the cause of a newly described condition that affects the growth and intellectual development of children.

This is according to a study recently published in the journal Nature Genetics.

To reach their findings, the research team analyzed the genomes of 152 children with overgrowth disorders and their parents, alongside 1,000 controls from the UK population.

Overgrowth disorders are a group of genetic disorders that cause an abnormal increase in body size, as well as intellectual disability and facial dysmorphism. Such disorders already described include Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome and Weaver syndrome.

The researchers discovered that 13 of the children had mutations in the DNA methyltransferase gene - DNMT3A. All children with these mutations were taller than usual for their age, had intellectual disabilities and shared similar facial features.

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Leukemia gene mutation linked to new childhood growth disorder

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