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Four The Kids Research Institute Australia researchers are among those who have received funding in the WA State Government's Merit Award Program announced today.
Researchers at The Kids Research Institute Australia have discovered a new drug combination that could help improve survival rates for babies with leukaemia.
Congratulations to three The Kids Research Institute Australia researchers, who have been awarded funding from the Raine Medical Research Foundation.
The Drug Discovery Unit has been finding ways for smart drugs to penetrate deep into cells and attacking their disease targets while causing fewer side effects
It is now known that the HOX11 gene is permanently activated in the leukaemia cells and it drives the disease.
High-grade glioma (HGG) cells reactivate neurodevelopmental programs regulated by ion channels to drive tumor progression. The activity of voltage-gated sodium channels (VGSCs) is fundamental to development, a target of blood-brain barrier (BBB)-permeable FDA-approved drugs, and aids tumor advancement in several cancers. However, the contribution of VGSC activity to HGG pathology remains unknown.
B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) is the most common pediatric cancer. Current therapeutic regimens have improved 5-year event-free survival rates to 90%, however clinical outcomes for high-risk subgroups, such as BCR-ABL1+ B-ALL and relapsed ALL, remain poor. In addition, 16% of newly diagnosed children with ALL present with vertebral compression fractures. Moreover, 16% of children with ALL undergoing glucocorticoid therapy also experience a high incidence of vertebral fractures, indicating that bone health may be compromised by both leukemia progression and osteotoxicity of chemotherapy.
T cells engineered to express chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) are a promising modality to treat refractory cancers. CD19 CAR-T therapy has achieved remarkable responses in against B-cell lymphomas, however, challenges persist for acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and solid malignancies. B7H3 is an immune regulatory molecule that is highly expressed in various tumor cells. Its abnormal expression in acute AML and esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is closely related to tumor progression.
Rishi S. Kotecha MB ChB (Hons) MRCPCH FRACP PhD Co-Head, Leukaemia Translational Research rishi.kotecha@health.wa.gov.au Co-Head, Leukaemia
Monoclonal antibodies are revolutionizing the landscape of current cancer treatment, bringing hope to patients with incurable cancers. B7-H3 (CD276) is an attractive therapeutic target for antibody-based therapy due to its low or absent expression in normal tissues and high expression in various types of tumors, including prostate cancer, pancreatic cancer, and high-mortality esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). In recent years, various B7-H3-targeting antibodies have been developed for cancer treatment, with a few making their way to clinical trials.