Finding a new way to treat leukaemia

Differences exist between normal blood cells and cancerous blood cells which result in them behaving in different ways.

Researchers have identified unique features in cancer cells, which has led to the development of treatments that specifically target the cancer cells, leaving healthy cells unharmed.

However, research hasn’t paid much attention to the differences in the shape and structure of normal blood cells compared to cancerous blood cells. Understanding these differences in blood cells could unlock new ways to treat leukaemia.

Professor Kent has created a tool that can apply pressure to blood cells to examine their shape and structure. Using this tool, they’ve noticed that when they apply pressure to cancerous blood cancer cells that they react differently to healthy blood cells. They plan to study this further, looking at these differences in more detail, as this could help them discover new ways of treating the disease.

If successful, the research could lead to the development of new technology that could be used on a bigger scale in hospitals to treat people with leukaemia. This could allow for new types of treatments for leukaemia that can effectively target cancerous blood cells.