Sydney, Aug 13: Scientists have isolated the structure of a cell signalling receptor in the blood system, which when damaged causes cancers like leukaemia.

Their discovery helps explain, for the first time, how this receptor is activated and may lead to the development of new cancer treatments.

The findings are the result of a collaboration between a team of scientists led by Michael Parker at the St Vincent's Institute (SVI), Melbourne and Angel Lopez, at the Institute of Medical and Veterinary Science, Adelaide.

"Because our discovery shows precisely what the receptor looks like and also how it works, we can now begin to design new drugs to rein in the deadly abnormal blood cells," said Parker, a professor.

Using cutting-edge technology, they have developed the first 3D image of the receptor's structure and will use the unique knowledge it provides to find drugs to modify its action and control diseases such as leukaemia and asthma.

Lopez, also a professor, said: "Leukaemia is a type of cancer where an excessive number of malfunctioning white blood cells are produced. We have established the structure of a receptor that controls the actions of a blood-forming regulator called GM-CSF."

These results were published in Cell.