Cardiff Scientists Offer Hope To Leukaemia Patients

Main Category: Lymphoma / Leukemia / Myeloma
Also Included In: Blood / Hematology;  Cancer / Oncology
Article Date: 21 Jan 2009 - 6:00 PDT

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Cardiff University scientists, funded by cancer charity Leukaemia Research, are at the forefront of world research with new discoveries which they hope will lead to a new, targeted treatment for leukaemia patients who currently respond badly to conventional drugs.

Dr Chris Pepper and his multi-disciplinary team at the School of Medicine have discovered that some patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) have high levels of a protein (called Rel A) and that these people develop a more aggressive form of the disease. This means they require more intensive therapy to treat CLL, which is the most common leukaemia in the UK.

The scientists have also discovered that the amount of this protein in the patient's leukaemia cells accurately predicts how he or she will respond to treatment.

Dr Pepper, Research Scientist in the Department of Haematology, explained: " This protein is providing new information about CLL patients which we believe will allow us to identify those who have more aggressive forms of this leukaemia. This is important because the timing and type of treatment can then be matched to the patients' requirements. "

Additionally, Dr Pepper's team has shown that a new drug called LC-1 can block this Rel A protein, resulting in the targeted killing of the leukaemia cells. Encouragingly, tests in the laboratory show the new drug is equally effective in treating the cells of patients that respond poorly to the current treatment, fludarabine.

Dr Pepper explained: "We used our discoveries about the protein Rel A in CLL to predict that the drug LC-1 would have an effect on drug resistant cells. This turned out to be the case and the combination of LC-1 with fludarabine proved highly effective. We have now started a clinical trial here in Cardiff to test this new drug in patients and we will know later this year how effective it really is. "

Dr David Grant, Head of Research Information at Leukaemia Research, says: " This work is very exciting because it shows how research can help doctors individualise treatments for patients. Results so far suggest that the new drug LC-1 could be particularly useful in patients who have previously responded badly to conventional chemotherapy. "

Leukaemia Research currently has over £1.1 million invested in research into blood cancers at Cardiff University.

This new research has just been published in the highly respected journals Journal of Clinical Oncology and Clinical Cancer Research.

1. This research is published in the January edition of the Journal of Clinical Oncology under the title 'Rel A is an Independent Biomarker of Clinical Outcome in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia' and the December edition of Clinical Cancer Research, under the title 'The Novel Nuclear Factor -KB Inhibitor LC-1 Is Equipotent in Poor Prognostic Subsets of Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia and Shows Strong Synergy with Fludarabine'. The corresponding author for both papers, Dr Chris Pepper, is of the Department of Haematology, School of Medicine, Cardiff University.

2. Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia is a slowly progressing form of leukaemia, characterised by an increased number of white blood cells known as lymphocytes. With about 2,750 new cases occurring each year in the UK, it is the most common form of leukaemia in the UK and occurs predominantly in late middle age onwards. It has variable symptoms and course, but may be diagnosed by chance before the patient develops any clinical symptoms of the disease.

3. Over the next five years, Leukaemia Research urgently needs to raise over £100 million to commit to new research. From basic laboratory research to clinical trials with patients, Leukaemia Research is committed to saving lives by funding high quality, carefully selected research throughout the UK.

4. Leukaemia Research is the only national charity devoted exclusively to improving treatments, finding cures and learning how to prevent leukaemia, Hodgkin's and other lymphomas, myeloma and the related blood disorders, diagnosed in 24,500 people in the UK every year. Further information, including patient information booklets, is available from http://www.lrf.org.uk or call 020 7405 0101

5. Cardiff University

Cardiff University is recognised in independent government assessments as one of Britain's leading teaching and research universities and is a member of the Russell Group of the UK's most research intensive universities. Among its academic staff are two Nobel Laureates, including the winner of the 2007 Nobel Prize for Medicine, Professor Sir Martin Evans.

Founded by Royal Charter in 1883, today the University combines impressive modern facilities and a dynamic approach to teaching and research. The University's breadth of expertise in research and research-led teaching encompasses: the humanities; the natural, physical, health, life and social sciences; engineering and technology; preparation for a wide range of professions; and a longstanding commitment to lifelong learning.

Visit the University website at: http://www.cardiff.ac.uk

Cardiff School of Medicine

Cardiff University's School of Medicine is a significant contributor to healthcare in Wales, a major provider of professional staff for the National Health Service and an international centre of excellence for research delivering substantial health benefits locally and internationally. The school's 800 staff include 500 research and academic staff who teach more than 2,000 students, including 1,110 postgraduate students. The School is an international leader in basic and clinically applied research activities and scored highly in the most recent Government Research Assessment Exercise. School of Medicine researchers annually win tens of millions of pounds in research awards to work with Government, the healthcare industries and the charitable sector on the most pressing issues of human health.

Cardiff School of Medicine

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