![Insights into Blood Cancers]()
Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) are a spectrum of blood disorders that often progress to acute myeloid leukemia (AML). MDS and AML can prove fatal, and better treatment options are needed for both of them. The two conditions interfere with normal blood cell function in part by increasing inflammatory signals. One signal overexpressed in patients with MDS/AML triggers increased levels of the inflammatory cytokine Angiopoietin-1 (Angpt-1). Amit Verma M.D.. and colleagues have discovered a new inhibitor of the receptor Tie-2, which is the receptor on the surface of blood cells to which Angpt-1 binds. Using patient samples from the MDS Center of Excellence clinic at Montefiore, the researchers showed that inhibiting Tie-2 using the novel drug pexmetinib restricts leukemic cells from dividing and allows for normal blood cell differentiation, which typically doesn’t occur in MDS/AML. This drug is now being tested in clinical trials in MDS. The researchers report their results in the June issue of Cancer Research. Dr. Verma is professor of medicine and of developmental and molecular biology.
Posted on: Thursday, July 21, 2016