Blood cancer, such as diseases such as myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML), are extremely difficult for treatment and often leave patients without reliable methods of combating the progression of the disease. However, recently scientists at the University of Washington Medical School in St. Louis have made a sensational discovery that can change the approach to the treatment of these serious diseases.
Studies have shown that PMD-026, which was developed for the treatment of breast cancer, can also be effective in combating some forms of blood cancer. At first, this drug was aimed at blocking RSK1 protein, which plays a key role in the development of inflammation and progression of tumors, especially in the context of myeloproliferative neoplasms. The results of tests on mice and human samples revealed a significant decrease in the level of cancer cells and even the restoration of healthy tissues in the bone marrow.
Two important studies published in Nature Communications and Blood Cancer Journal have shown encouraging results. The first study showed that RSK1 blocking can significantly stop MPN progression, reducing the number of cancer cells by 96 % in four weeks. In the second study, the drug demonstrated its effectiveness in the treatment of FLT3-IML-an aggressive form of leukemia, which often becomes resistant to traditional methods of therapy. These successes are so important because they give a new chance for patients who are progressing and who do not have access to effective treatments. In addition, the drug can prepare patients for stem cell transplantation - the only way to treat some types of blood cancer today.
PMD-026, which blocks all four forms of RSK protein, was first tested on patients with breast cancer, and their results were encouraging. At the moment, a team of researchers at the University of Washington is actively cooperating with the developers of the drug to investigate its potential in the treatment of blood cancer. If this drug is approved for use in the treatment of breast cancer, it will become the first in the market to be the drug that actively suppress the RSK protein family, which will hope for new methods of combating different types of cancer.
Research is supported by a number of international organizations such as the National Institute of Health (NIH) and the Lukemia and Lymphoma Society, as well as the MPN Foundation. Scientists continue to work on the development of clinical trials to check the effectiveness of this drug on patients with blood cancer who have already exhausted all other treatment options.
