leukemia tagged posts

Knocking out a protein known to stifle T cell activation on CAR T cells using the CRISPR/Cas9 technology enhanced the engineered T cells’ ability to eliminate blood cancers, according to new preclinical data from researchers in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and Penn’s Abramson Cancer Center.

The findings will be presented as an oral presentation at the 62nd American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting & Exposition on Dec. 7 (abstract 554).

The team knocked out the CD5 gene — which encodes for the CD5 protein on the surface of T cells and can inhibit their activation — on CAR T cells using CRISPR-Cas9 and infused them back into mice with T- and B-cell leukemia or lymphoma...

Inhibition of Mdm2–MdmX RING–RING interaction by MMRi6 and its analog MMRi64.

A new class of small-molecule compounds has been discovered that are good candidates for novel targeted therapies in leukemia and lymphoma Rx. They drive cancer cells to suicide, RPCI researchers report. “We are excited about the unique activities of these compounds and will continue to focus our research efforts on development of their clinical potential,” says Xinjiang Wang, PhD. “These compounds kill cancer cells, not just stop cancer cell growth temporarily. These types of agents offer the promise of therapeutic benefit.”

They demonstrated that the small-molecule MMRi compounds have an advantage over p53-activating agents in current use as cancer therapies...