Dr. Shukla and Dr. Armstrong at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, regarding mixed lineage leukemia - $10k
Mechanism and Rational Therapy of Refractory Epigenetic Targets in Acute Leukemia:
Despite extensive efforts and intensive combination chemotherapy, the cure rates of patients with acute leukemias remain inadequate. The need for improved treatments for patients whose leukemias is resistant to conventional chemotherapy is particularly dire. Recent studies have begun to emphasize the importance of aberrant gene expression in leukemia pathogenesis. However, there is a shortage of accurate laboratory models and rational approaches to interfere with molecular factors that drive leukemogenesis. Dr. Shukla and Dr. Armstrong have begun to use recently developed genome editing technologies to generate faithful models of human leukemias suitable for rapid preclinical testing. To specifically block leukemogenic gene expression, they have developed rationally designed peptidomimetic inhibitors of the key epigenetic regulator MYB, critical for the survival of most leukemias, including refractory leukemias driven by MLL and CBP rearrangements. This project aims to leverage accurate genetically engineered models of human leukemia and rationally designed MYB inhibitors to develop effective therapies.
Despite extensive efforts and intensive combination chemotherapy, the cure rates of patients with acute leukemias remain inadequate. The need for improved treatments for patients whose leukemias is resistant to conventional chemotherapy is particularly dire. Recent studies have begun to emphasize the importance of aberrant gene expression in leukemia pathogenesis. However, there is a shortage of accurate laboratory models and rational approaches to interfere with molecular factors that drive leukemogenesis. Dr. Shukla and Dr. Armstrong have begun to use recently developed genome editing technologies to generate faithful models of human leukemias suitable for rapid preclinical testing. To specifically block leukemogenic gene expression, they have developed rationally designed peptidomimetic inhibitors of the key epigenetic regulator MYB, critical for the survival of most leukemias, including refractory leukemias driven by MLL and CBP rearrangements. This project aims to leverage accurate genetically engineered models of human leukemia and rationally designed MYB inhibitors to develop effective therapies.