Year 1

Development of Highly Active Leukemia Therapy (HALT)

Leukemias are cancers of the blood forming cells that affect both children and adults. Although major advances have been made in the treatment of leukemias, many patients still succumb to the disease. In these patients, the leukemias may progress despite therapy because they harbor primitive malignant stem-like cells that are resistant to most drugs. This CIRM disease specific grant aims to develop a combination of highly active anti-leukemic therapy (HALT) that can destroy the drug-resistant cancer stem-like cells, without severely harming normal cells.

During the current year of support, substantial progress has been made in achieving this goal. The CIRM investigators have shown that two different drugs that inhibit different proteins in leukemia stem cells can sensitize them to chemotherapeutic agents, and block their ability to self-renew. The CIRM investigators have also demonstrated that two different antibodies against molecules on the surface of the leukemia cells can inhibit their survival in both test tube experiments and in mouse models.

Extensive experiments are underway to confirm these promising results. The results will enable the planning and implementation of potentially transforming clinical trials in leukemia patients, during the period of CIRM grant support.