Melbourne researchers make breakthough in treatment for aggressive leukaemia - ABC Local

Updated November 22, 2013 12:56:19

Medical researchers in Melbourne have discovered a ground-breaking technique for treating aggressive forms of leukaemia.

The Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre has come up with a double-barrelled approach it is hoped will lead to long-term survival for those suffering from the blood cancer.

A mutant enzyme called JAK2 drives and feeds a virulent form of the disease that has proved resistant to therapy.

"Not only do they grow very quickly and the tumours spread more rapidly but they're often refractory to standard chemotherapies up front," Professor Ricky Johnstone, Assistant Director of Research at the Peter MacCallum Centre, said.

"These are things that are very difficult to treat because of how quickly they spread but, in addition, they cannot be treated by the common chemotherapy."

However, the dual-pronged attack has already proved successful in completely curing this form of leukaemia in mice.

Professor Johnstone said: "If we think about a tumour cell as a tree and if we think about this JAK2 protein being the tree, what we want to do is target that tree at two points: we want to cut off the leaves with one drug and then we want to deplete the root system and, importantly, the tap-root at another level.

"We think that the best way to kill that tree and therefore the tumour cell would be this dual approach - remove the leaves, remove the roots and then completely diminish the survival and nourishment pathway for that tree and, therefore, kill the tumour cell."

Researchers hope the treatment will be available to patients within a year.

Topics: health, diseases-and-disorders, medical-research, science-and-technology, research, melbourne-3000

First posted November 22, 2013 11:52:06