Bioassay and markers for rapid pre-screening of chemotherapy efficacy
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Novel predictive markers of chemotherapeutic efficacy in acute myeloid leukaemia
IRAS ID
270984
Contact name
JW Hull
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of the West of England
Duration of Study in the UK
5 years, 0 months, 0 days
Research summary
Leukaemia is responsible for the death of over 350,000 people annually (worldwide), with 5-year survival limited to 51% in the adult population. The average age of leukaemia diagnosis in adults is 65 years, and once diagnosed treatment is initiated rapidly (due to such poor life expectancy without treatment). Leukaemia is often treated with intensive chemotherapeutic intervention, however for many patients; this is not successful or is not a valid treatment option. For example, the elderly are often put on lower dose chemotherapy due to the physical burden chemotherapy can take. This will control the disease, whilst reducing the side effects of treatment. The complexity and high mortality rate of leukaemia calls for continued research into new therapeutic targets, new markers for disease progression, and new predictors of treatment success.
In previous work, we have observed a marker (the human branched chain aminotransferase protein) in glioblastomas that correlates well with patient outcome. Our initial research demonstrated that an increase in this marker was correlated with a more aggressive form of glioblastomas, and associated with worse patient outcomes. Other related studies have observed an increase in this marker correlated with resistance to certain chemotherapies. Our initial research observing these same markers in immortal leukaemic culture models demonstrated that upregulation of the human branched chain aminotransferase protein occurs in cell lines resistant to chemotherapy. The plan of this work is to investigate the same (and related) proteins in leukaemic patient samples. In the future, this information could directly benefit patients by assisting the clinician in predicting which treatment regimens would be more successful. This work would provide invaluable markers that would feed into the clinical decision-making, particularly in patients that are borderline fit to treat.
REC name
West Midlands - Coventry & Warwickshire Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
20/WM/0292
Date of REC Opinion
10 Dec 2020
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion