New discovery of a new avenue for treatment of acute myeloid leukemia

Dr. John Dick, Senior Scientist, the Ontario Cancer Institute, the research arm of Princess Margaret Hospital, co-management of a multinational team, is the first therapy of leukemia, a CD123 protein on the surface cancer stem cells, acute myeloid leukemia (AML), an aggressive disease with poor outcome

Dr. Richard Lock is a leader in the clinical trial in Germany is based on research, which indicates that the antibodies to cancer stem cells significantly reduced the growth of human AML cells that were transplanted into mice immuno-deficient, a laboratory, mimics the human disease, establishing the therapeutic potential of such treatment.

Dr. Tom Hudson, President and Chief Scientist of the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research (OICR) congratulated Dr. Dick, the Leader OICR's Cancer Stem Cell Program. Dr Hudson said: "John Dick has made progress in the understanding of what initiates and supports cancer. With his collaborator, Dr. Dick-first anti-cancer monoclonal antibody therapy, the specific objectives of cancer stem cells. This discovery offers hope for developing treatments on cancer stem cells from other types of cancer. "

"This is exactly the role we have for the project of the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research McGuinty, if the government during the year 2005," said Minister of Research and Innovation John Milloy. "The meeting in the province forces cancer prevention, detection, diagnosis and treatment of Ontario to help the fight against this terrible disease."

Research on AML based on the discovery by Dr. Dick, it is a population of cells in cancer, cancer stem cells, for the preservation of the growth of cancer. Your previous research had shown that cancer stem cells are often resistant to standard chemotherapy and survival, since such a treatment, it can also be a recurrence of the disease.

The antibody to the protein CD123 (IL-3 receptor α-chain) on cancer stem cells, cancer growth. The antibodies did not influence the normal blood cells. Based on these tests, a phase I study was initiated for the safety and efficacy in patients.

"The cancer stem cell hypothesis is one of the ideas in cancer biology, which have the potential to really transform the treatment of cancer. An important question is whether the agents can be developed, in particular that of cells without the normal stem cells, "said Dr. Benjamin Neel, director of the Ontario Cancer
Institute. "The work of Drs. Dick and barriers is the first sign that treatment is possible."

For more information: The research paper Mediated monoclonal antibodies targeting CD123, IL-3 receptor α-chain, concludes human acute myelogenous was in leukemia stem cells Cell Stem Cell 2nd July 2009.