Protein that helps childhood cancer growth found
Scientists have identified a protein that plays a crucial role in the progression of a devastating form of childhood cancer called T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (T-ALL), a finding that could lead to new drugs for treating the disease.
Scientists at the New York University Langone Medical Centre found that the protein called NF-kB (short for nuclear factor kB), which is crucial for the immune response, appears to be a key player in the progression of T-ALL — the most common type of cancer in children.
The researchers, who detailed their study in the journal Cancer Cell, also found that when the activities of the protein were suppressed it killed the leukemic cells, opening a potential avenue to new drugs that could prevent progression of the disease.
“We are very excited about this discovery because small molecule drugs that block this protein are already in development,” said lead researcher Iannis Aifantis, director of the Cancer Stem Cell Programme at the NYU Cancer Institute.
“We plan to continue to study these inhibitors in the laboratory with the aim of evaluating the feasibility of testing such drugs in patients.”
Despite great strides in treating childhood leukaemia, T-ALL poses special challenges because of the high risk of leukaemia cells invading the brain and spinal cord of children who relapse.
T-ALL is a blood-borne cancer in which the bone marrow makes too many lymphocytes, or white blood cells, which strikes several thousand children and adolescents in the world every year.
While more than 90 per cent initially go into remission through a combination of chemotherapy and radiation, up to one third of this group eventually relapse.
Previous research had strongly implicated a well-known oncogene (or cancer-causing gene) called Notch1 in the initiation and progression of T-ALL in patients.
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