Leukemia News and Research

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Leukemia (Leukaemia) is a cancer of the blood cells. It is the most common type of blood cancer and affects 10 times as many adults as children. Most people diagnosed with leukemia are over 50 years old. No one knows why some people develop leukemia and others do not. However, scientists have identified some risk factors for the disease. Most people who have known risk factors do not get leukemia, while many who do get the disease have none of these risk factors. During the early stages of leukemia, there may be no symptoms. Many of the symptoms of leukemia don't become apparent until a large number of normal blood cells are crowded out by leukemia cells.

Study reveals novel molecular targets to improve chemotherapy’s efficiency against leukemia

Researchers from Instituto de Medicina Molecular João Lobo Antunes have found a mechanism through which certain types of leukemia resist chemotherapy, thus revealing novel molecular targets that may be used to improve the efficiency of this type of treatment.

12 Dec 2017

Study: Combination targeted therapy has high response rates in AML patients

Initial findings from a multi-national open-label phase Ib study of inhibitory drug therapy for relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukemia (AML) have demonstrated a complete response in up to 50 percent patients say researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

11 Dec 2017

Scientists develop software that predicts leukemia-specific immune targets

University of North Carolina Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center scientists have developed a software program that can accurately predict which tumor-specific markers will show up on the surface of leukemia cells in patients who have received stem cell transplants.

11 Dec 2017

Pairing immunotherapy drug with chemotherapy proves beneficial for relapsed acute myeloid leukemia

University of North Carolina Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center researchers report that pairing an immunotherapy drug with chemotherapy proved beneficial for some patients with acute myeloid leukemia whose disease did not respond to standard treatment or had relapsed.

11 Dec 2017

Combination of chemotherapy and targeted drug improves response in younger CLL patients

Among younger patients newly diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), treatment with a combination of chemotherapy and a molecularly targeted drug significantly improves response over what is typically seen with chemotherapy alone, according to an investigator-initiated multi-center phase II clinical trial.

11 Dec 2017

St. Jude gene therapy offers hope for infants with 'bubble boy' disease

Early evidence suggests that gene therapy developed at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital will lead to broad protection for infants with the devastating immune disorder X-linked severe combined immunodeficiency disorder.

11 Dec 2017

New genetic model identified for predicting outcomes in patients with primary myelofibrosis

A group of investigators from Mayo Clinic and multiple academic research centers in Italy have identified a genetic model for predicting outcomes in patients with primary myelofibrosis who are 70 years or younger and candidates for stem cell transplant to treat their disease.

11 Dec 2017

CAR T cell therapy shows long-lasting remissions in non-Hodgkin's lymphoma patients

In a pair of clinical trials stretching from Philadelphia to Tokyo, the chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy Kymriah (formerly known as CTL019) demonstrated long-lasting remissions in non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) patients.

11 Dec 2017

Drug improves disease-free, overall survival after hematopoietic stem cell transplants

Results from a phase 2 clinical trial, presented by Seattle Children's Research Institute at the 59th American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting, show that the drug Abatacept (Orencia) nearly eliminated life-threatening severe acute graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) in patients receiving hematopoietic stem cell transplants.

11 Dec 2017

Clinical study uses genetic testing to match AML patients with new therapies

A clinical trial using genetic testing to match acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients with new therapies is now open at the University of Maryland Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center

6 Dec 2017

High ADAR1 enzyme levels correlate with reduced survival rates in multiple myeloma

Multiple myeloma is the second most common blood cancer in the United States. Thirty to 50 percent of multiple myeloma patients have extra copies of the gene that encodes the enzyme ADAR1.

6 Dec 2017

OICR announces innovative initiative to drive development of new cancer therapies

The Ontario Institute for Cancer Research today announced the Cancer Therapeutics Innovation Pipeline initiative and the first 10 projects selected in CTIP's inaugural round of funding.

4 Dec 2017

UC San Diego researchers receive nearly $8 million grant for new stem cell-based AML treatments

The Independent Citizens Oversight Committee of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine unanimously approved yesterday two grants worth a total of almost $8 million to University of California San Diego School of Medicine researchers investigating novel stem cell-based treatments for acute myeloid leukemia or AML.

4 Dec 2017

Australian researchers develop new risk scoring system to predict childhood leukemia relapse

Australian researchers have developed a new risk scoring system for children with leukemia based on missing DNA fragments or 'microdeletions'.

1 Dec 2017

FSU researchers solve puzzle posed by family of rare premature aging disorders

New research from Florida State University is beginning to piece together the stubborn puzzle posed by a family of rare and debilitating premature aging disorders.

28 Nov 2017

Study finds unexpected new drug target for acute myeloid leukemia

A study has found an unexpected new drug target for acute myeloid leukemia (AML) that could open new avenues to develop effective treatments against this potentially lethal disease.

27 Nov 2017

High levels of natural immune suppressor in leukemia patients linked to poor survival

Patients diagnosed with the most common form of leukemia who also have high levels of an enzyme known to suppress the immune system are most likely to die early, researchers say.

27 Nov 2017

Study: Cancer patients willing to swap drug efficacy for reduced risk of adverse events

When choosing their preferred treatment, people with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) place the highest value on medicines that deliver the longest progression-free survival, but are willing to swap some drug efficacy for a reduced risk of serious adverse events according to a study published online in Blood Advances, a Journal of the American Society of Hematology.

22 Nov 2017

Research shows how HLF gene affects blood cell development

A research group at Lund University in Sweden has found that when the HLF (hepatic leukemia factor) gene -which is expressed in immature blood cells - does not shut down on time, we are unable to develop a functional long-term immune system. This could be a very early stage of leukemia.

22 Nov 2017

UNC Lineberger professor receives The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society grant for immunotherapy research

UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center researcher Barbara Savoldo, MD, PhD, was awarded a $600,000, three-year grant from The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society to support research into an immunotherapy treatment being developed with a "safety switch" to safeguard against potential side effects of the treatment.

21 Nov 2017

Leukemia News and Research

Further Reading

Study reveals novel molecular targets to improve chemotherapy’s efficiency against leukemia

Study: Combination targeted therapy has high response rates in AML patients

Scientists develop software that predicts leukemia-specific immune targets

Pairing immunotherapy drug with chemotherapy proves beneficial for relapsed acute myeloid leukemia

Combination of chemotherapy and targeted drug improves response in younger CLL patients

St. Jude gene therapy offers hope for infants with 'bubble boy' disease

New genetic model identified for predicting outcomes in patients with primary myelofibrosis

CAR T cell therapy shows long-lasting remissions in non-Hodgkin's lymphoma patients

Drug improves disease-free, overall survival after hematopoietic stem cell transplants

Clinical study uses genetic testing to match AML patients with new therapies

High ADAR1 enzyme levels correlate with reduced survival rates in multiple myeloma

OICR announces innovative initiative to drive development of new cancer therapies

UC San Diego researchers receive nearly $8 million grant for new stem cell-based AML treatments

Australian researchers develop new risk scoring system to predict childhood leukemia relapse

FSU researchers solve puzzle posed by family of rare premature aging disorders

Study finds unexpected new drug target for acute myeloid leukemia

High levels of natural immune suppressor in leukemia patients linked to poor survival

Study: Cancer patients willing to swap drug efficacy for reduced risk of adverse events

Research shows how HLF gene affects blood cell development

UNC Lineberger professor receives The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society grant for immunotherapy research

Bringing real-time analytics to downstream bioprocess monitoring

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

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