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Cancer research

Breakthrough in Leukemia Treatment: Researchers Discover Novel Immunotherapy to Disrupt Cancer Signaling Loop

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

Researchers at the Medical University of South Carolina's Hollings Cancer Center have made a significant breakthrough in the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia (AML), a fast-growing and aggressive form of blood cancer. Led by pediatric hematologist-oncologist and bone marrow transplant expert Sophie Paczesny, M.D., Ph.D., the team identified a signaling loop used by leukemia stem cells and developed a novel immunotherapy that can disrupt this loop, boosting immune function and improving survival rates.

Key Takeaways:

  • Researchers at MUSC Hollings Cancer Center have identified a signaling loop involved in the growth and persistence of leukemia cells, which is a key pathway used by leukemia stem cells to survive chemotherapy and hide in the bone marrow.
  • The study revealed a loop between a protein called IL-33 and its receptor IL1RL1, which creates an immune environment that helps the cancer avoid being attacked.
  • The researchers developed a novel immunotherapy using a lab-made antibody that targets and kills leukemia cells carrying IL1RL1, while also activating infection-fighting T-cells like CD8+ to attack the cancer cells.
  • The antibody slowed or stopped leukemia cell growth, limited immune suppression, and reduced relapse rates, even in tough cases where leukemia had already taken hold.
  • The treatment is an off-the-shelf drug with low toxicity, making it safer to use and more acceptable to patients, and it targets cells just enough to fight cancer without destroying the whole system.
  • The study offers new hope for treating and preventing cancer and could eventually lead to new treatments that target cancer cells at their roots, offering an option when standard treatments fail.

Statistics:

  • The new study was published in Nature Communications.
  • AML has a high rate of relapse, with 70-80% of patients relapsing after chemotherapy.
  • The IL1RL1 receptor is expressed in various cancers, including colorectal, lung, ovarian, and brain cancers.
  • The antibody developed by the researchers has shown promise in lab and mouse models, with no major side effects.
  • The researchers are planning to conduct Phase I clinical trials to further test the safety and effectiveness of the treatment.

Sources:

  • MUSC Hollings Cancer Center
  • Nature Communications
  • Sophie Paczesny, M.D., Ph.D., co-leader of the Cancer Biology and Immunology Research Program at Hollings Cancer Center.

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