250,000 euros for leukemia research

Leukemia research project at the University Hospital Halle is funded with 250,000 euros

08/14/2014

The leukemia research at the Halle University Hospital will be funded with 250,000 euros from the José Carreras Foundation. „The working group of Professor dr. Carsten Müller-Tidow (Director of the University Hospital and Polyclinic for Internal Medicine IV) receives a research grant from the German José Carreras Leukemia Foundation e.V. to investigate resistance mechanisms in acute myeloid leukemia“, so the message of the university clinic.

According to the researchers, acute leukemia is currently treatable in many patients, but unfortunately some of them have relapsed. „These relapses are difficult to treat and then often require stem cell transplantation because the leukemia cells have become resistant to normal therapies“, reports the university hospital. „Our goal is the development of new therapeutic strategies so that resistance can be overcome - or even not occur at all“, explains Professor Müller-Tidow further.

Acute myeloid leukemia most common leukemia in adults
The most common form of acute leukemia in adults is acute myeloid leukemia. Here it is the research group led by Professor Müller-Tidow and dr. Stefanie Göllner has succeeded in identifying a new mechanism that makes leukemia cells resistant to chemotherapy. „This mechanism is based on adaptation changes of the tumor cells by the therapy and is fixed without genetic changes and passed on to the daughter cells“, reports the university clinic. In this way, the leukemia cells would be resistant to a variety of therapies. However, the effect also provides a suitable starting point for overcoming resistance. „We have already found several substances that we can use to overcome resistance“, so that the therapy against the leukemia cells became effective again, explained Dr. med. Stefanie Göllner.

Understanding and overcoming resistance formation
In the next three years, the current research project aims to better understand the mechanism of resistance formation and to develop suitable therapeutic approaches to overcome the resistance, the researchers write. „We hope that this research will allow us to develop new approaches to make leukemia therapies even more effective“, so Professor Müller-Tidow. Gabriele Kröner, Managing Director of the José Carreras Leukemia Foundation, added that with projects such as that led by Professor Müller-Tidow „basic new insights to understand the mechanisms of the disease“ they are therefore the focus of the support program of the José Carreras Leukemia Foundation. Here, long-term promising and reliable new therapeutic approaches should be developed, „in order to be able to further increase the survival and healing chances of the affected patients.“

The José Carreras Leukemia Foundation
The non-profit German José Carreras Leukemia Foundation was founded in 1995 by José Carreras, after he himself had leukemia in 1987 and successfully treated despite poor chances of recovery. Since then, the foundation has funded almost 1,000 projects, „The goal of the project is the construction of research and treatment facilities, the study of leukemia and its healing as well as the work of self-help groups and parents' initiatives“, reports the University Hospital Halle. (Fp)