2023-07-18 10:44:25
Towards a drug once morest leukemia? Researchers from the Luxembourg Institute of Health (LIH) have just discovered the therapeutic virtues of a compound, named FL3, which “inhibits the translation of oncogenes” and “reorganizes the metabolism of cancer cells”. More concretely, the drug “slows the progression of leukemia by blocking the genes responsible for cancer”, summarizes the LIH.
Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is characterized by “the overproduction and accumulation of dysfunctional B lymphocytes in various parts of the body”, details the institute in its press release. Its researchers then focused on “inhibiting the translation (i.e. the cellular process producing proteins) of oncogenes, in particular the MYC gene, in CLL cells in order to reconnect their metabolism and to reduce their ability to multiply rapidly, thus preventing the progression of the disease.
The results were published in the international journal Blood. They “open the way to innovative therapeutic approaches once morest cancer”, congratulates the LIH.
Fight once morest relapses
The team led by doctors Jérôme Paggetti and Étienne Moussay used patient samples and animal models. Their study found that LCC cells showed “greater susceptibility to FL3-induced death than healthy cells.” They also found that FL3 “specifically targets a group of proteins called prohibitins (PHBs), which they have shown to be directly involved in translation.” Furthermore, FL3 targeted malignant cells, without affecting healthy ones, “thus providing a promising strategy to selectively fight cancer cells while leaving healthy cells unharmed.”
Combined with anti-PD1 immunotherapy, the results were “even more impressive, indicating that FL3 may also enhance antitumor immunity.”
“By inhibiting translation, we can potentially overcome treatment resistance and offer a promising approach to fight relapses in this challenging malignancy,” comments Anne Largeot, scientist in the group behind the discovery.
The study was supported by the Luxembourg National Research Fund (FNR), the Cancer Foundation, the FNRS-Télévie, the Plooschter Projet association, the Belgian Foundation for Cancer Research, the Swedish Cancer Foundation of Children and the Swedish Research Council and the Swedish Cancer Society.
1689682085
#LIH #discovers #drug #slow #leukemia
