Drugs to Treat Leukemia

The team of researchers in England have just discovered a drug that could treat leukemia or blood cancer. Researchers from the University of Cambridge, in England, announced the formation of a new drug that can be used to treat one of the most common form of blood cancer, mixed lineage leukemia (MLL), which is caused by leukemia fusion hereditary factors. This condition often affects babies.

In a paper published in the scientific journal Nature Oct. 2 issue. The team said that the drug shows promise something when conducted trials and tests they plan to expand them further. More than 10 percent of all adults diagnosed with leukemia caused by MLL. However, more severe in children, where 80 percent of all cases of acute leukemia is believed to be due to the MLL.

Even if they managed to do the healing, then the time will not be long because this disease has a bad habit to come back. This occurs because the form of blood cancer also have a genetic basis. The new investigation also involves experts from the Wellcome Trust / Cancer Research UK Gurdon Institute and the Cambridge Institute for Medical Research. Researchers from GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and Cellzome AG also contributed to the research, funded by Cancer Research UK.

Together, the researchers determined that the BET family of proteins responsible for leading the fusion protein with the target genes that cause leukemia. BET molecules recognize specific chemical part in the formation of DNA called chromatin. GSK makes a chemical compound developed from I-BET151, this compound has been shown to divert attention from BET proteins, thus preventing them to deliver fusion proteins to target them early.

Experts say the method has been used exclusively in mouse models and in human cancer cell cultures in the laboratory. So far, the research approach is proven to work, so the team hopes to soon conduct clinical trials. "Our work shows that depend on the type of leukemia in which MLL proteins capable of binding to chromatin through BET," explains Professor Tony Kouzarides, deputy director of the Wellcome Trust / Cancer Research UK Gurdon Institute.

"This is an 'epigenetic', the approach used for targeted therapy with chromatin DNA. This approach is an exciting new avenues for drug discovery which we hope will be useful for cancer types other than MLL leukemia," he added. "MLL leukemia is very difficult to treat and the only option for patients who are resistant to standard treatment is bone marrow transplantation. We hope these findings will mean in future to healing by using this procedure to the children," explains Dr. Brian Huntly from the University of Cambridge Institute for Medical Research.