Archive for leukemia
A new druggable cancer target: RNA-binding proteins on the cell surface
In 2021, research led by Ryan Flynn, MD, PhD, and his mentor, Nobel laureate Carolyn Bertozzi, PhD, opened a new chapter in biology, characterizing a new kind of player on the cell surface: glycoRNAs. Extending this discovery recently in Cell, Flynn and colleagues showed that glycoRNAs form highly organized clusters with RNA-binding proteins on the ... Read More about A new druggable cancer target: RNA-binding proteins on the cell surface
Forecasting the future for childhood cancer survivors
Children are much more likely to survive cancer today than 50 years ago. Unfortunately, as adults, many of them develop cardiovascular disease, secondary cancers, or both, believed to result from the toxic effects of chemotherapy and radiation. But the full risk picture for survivors hasn’t been clear. “Patients want to know how long they’ll live ... Read More about Forecasting the future for childhood cancer survivors
Blood across our lifetimes: An age-specific ‘atlas’ tells a dynamic story
The stem cells that form our blood, also known as hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), are with us throughout our lives. A new study reveals how HSCs ramp up and pivot their activities depending on the body’s needs at the time, from before we’re born until old age. Researchers at Dana-Farber/Boston Children’s Cancer and Blood Disorders ... Read More about Blood across our lifetimes: An age-specific ‘atlas’ tells a dynamic story
In a thriving gene therapy program, nursing leadership is the driving force
Gene therapy was made possible by decades of technological advances. But to execute gene therapy at scale? That would not be possible without the foresight, organization, and innovation of nursing leadership at Boston Children’s Hospital. The gene therapy implementation framework they have built has become a gold standard for the field. Founded in 2010, the ... Read More about In a thriving gene therapy program, nursing leadership is the driving force
One-time treatment could block a deadly form of graft-versus-host disease
Even when a bone marrow transplant cures leukemia or lymphoma, patients can still pass away from graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), in which T cells in the donor graft attack the recipient’s own tissues. Leslie Kean, MD, PhD, director of stem cell transplant at Dana-Farber/Boston Children’s Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, has long sought to prevent this ... Read More about One-time treatment could block a deadly form of graft-versus-host disease
How a leukemia hijacks the genes needed by blood stem cells
As a child, Lynn Aureli didn’t know that a particular genetic change contributed to her acute myeloid leukemia (AML) — an alteration that eventually would help explain the cancer’s lack of response to chemotherapy. Nor was she aware that her cancer had hijacked the genetic mechanism for maintaining the stem cells that form blood, like ... Read More about How a leukemia hijacks the genes needed by blood stem cells
Preventing ‘chemo brain’ with antioxidants targeting the spinal fluid
Up to three-quarters of patients receiving cancer chemotherapy suffer from “chemo brain” — a side effect that makes it harder to remember things, maintain attention, and learn new information. When it strikes children, whose brains are still developing, effects are sometimes long lasting, affecting their schoolwork and self-esteem. “One of the most distressing potential side ... Read More about Preventing ‘chemo brain’ with antioxidants targeting the spinal fluid
Making ready-made CAR T cells for cancer immunotherapy
In CAR T-cell immunotherapy, T cells from a patient’s own blood are engineered to carry so-called chimeric antigen receptors (CAR) that enable the T cells to attack and kill tumor cells. While CAR-T therapy is a powerful approach for certain leukemias and lymphomas, it’s not available for many patients who need it. It can be ... Read More about Making ready-made CAR T cells for cancer immunotherapy
Exploiting a vulnerability in an aggressive leukemia
Survival has improved greatly in children with acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL). But a certain form of ALL that occurs mostly in babies is still very lethal, with a survival rate below 50 percent: B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia with rearrangements of the mixed lineage leukemia gene, or MLL B-ALL. “Something about the biology of this type ... Read More about Exploiting a vulnerability in an aggressive leukemia
Sickle cell disease, gene therapy, and blood cancers: Mysteries remain
Gene therapy trials for sickle cell disease have been showing great promise, even offering hope of a cure. But in early 2021, the trials ground to a halt after reports of blood malignancies in two people in a trial sponsored by bluebird bio. Investigations later concluded that the gene therapy delivery vectors were likely not ... Read More about Sickle cell disease, gene therapy, and blood cancers: Mysteries remain