Eliminating RNA-binding protein improves survival in aggressive leukemia

Removing a protein that is often overexpressed in a rare and aggressive subtype of leukemia can help to slow the cancer ’s development and significantly increase the likelihood of survival, according to a study in mice led by scientists at theUCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center.The research,published today in the journal Leukemia, could aid in the development of targeted therapies for cancers that have high levels of the RNA-binding protein IGF2BP3 — especially acute lymphoblastic and myeloid leukemias that are characterized by chromosomal rearrangements in the mixed lineage leukemia (MLL) gene.In these MLL-rearranged leukemias, IGF2BP3 attaches to certain RNA molecules that carry genetic instructions for cancer-related proteins, markedly amplifying cancer development. Children and adults diagnosed with this subtype have a poor prognosis and a high risk of relapse after treatment.“This type of leukemia is more aggressive because of its ability to divide and spread faster,” said senior author Dr. Dinesh Rao, a member of the Jonsson Cancer Center and an associate professor of pathology and laboratory medicine at theDavid Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.“The disease can be very difficult to treat, even with new targeted immunotherapies like CAR T cell therapy and blinatumomab.”Leukemia begins in the bone marrow and is spurred by genetic mutations that cause stem cells in the marrow to produce too many white blood cells, affecting the body ’s ability to fight...
Source: UCLA Newsroom: Health Sciences - Category: Universities & Medical Training Source Type: news