Breakthrough in Mixed Lineage Leukaemia (MLL) Drug Search

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British scientists conducting early-stage research have found that a potential new drug from GlaxoSmithKline could treat mixed-lineage leukaemia(MLL) - the most common form of leukaemia in babies.

In a study published in the journal Nature, scientists from the British drug maker collaborating with the charity Cancer Research UK (CRUK) and Cellzome AG found that the experimental drug, called I-BET151, mimics a chemical tag which is key to preventing the process of activating the leukaemia genes.

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Leukaemia discovery could lead to complete remission

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British researchers found a way to destroy stem cells that sustain the potentially fatal blood cancer, in an early study on mice.

The team from King’s College London, funded by Cancer Research UK, learned that suppressing two particular proteins stops the leukaemia stem cells growing.

This could pave the way for better treatment that may enable patients to be in "complete remission". Prof Peter Johnson, the leading charity’s chief clinician, said: “This study builds on previous Cancer Research UK-funded work trying to pinpoint the molecules responsible for driving the development of MLL-related leukaemia stem cells. “Cancer stem cells appear to be more resistant to radiotherapy and chemotherapy than the other leukaemia cells, so understanding how they originate – and how we can kill them – will be a major step in being able to help even more people survive leukaemia in future.”

As many as 28,500 people are diagnosed with leukaemia in Britain every year and about 70 per cent of children and 10 per cent of adults have a type that involves mutations of the MLL gene. Only half of these children survive for two years after receiving standard treatment

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Leukaemia "Switch" discovery shows promise.

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Scientists have discovered how to “switch off faulty stem cells” that can lead to leukaemia, The Daily Telegraph has reported.

The research found that blocking the action of a protein called beta catenin in mice could make certain types of cancerous leukaemia stem cells revert to a pre-cancerous stage. The stem cells also became more susceptible to certain chemotherapy drug treatments.

When the researchers suppressed beta catenin in human leukaemia cells they found it could slow their division only if they carried an abnormal form of a gene called MLL, which is associated with certain forms of the disease, including one known as acute myeloid leukaemia. This suggests the results may only apply to cases of leukaemia that involve the abnormal MLL gene.

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