Understanding how AML cancer cells deal with stress
Acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) cancer cells can cope with the stress that comes from them dividing and multiplying quickly. Dr Papamichos and his team want understand this in more detail so they can find ways to stop these cancer cells dividing and multiplying out of control.
The challenge
AML is an aggressive type of blood cancer that affects blood cells and the bone marrow. Current treatments for AML could be improved to give more people with the disease a better chance of survival. In AML, cancer cells grow and divide quickly placing the cells under a lot of stress. Yet, somehow the AML cells can cope with this stress allowing them to become cancerous.
The project
In previous work, Dr Papamichos has discovered a specific protein that seems to help AML cells deal with stress and allow the cancer cells to divide and multiply out of control. In this current Blood Cancer UK funded pilot project, they plan to study AML cancer cells in the lab and figure out exactly how this protein does this.
The future
If successful, and the researchers can understand how the AML cancer cells use this protein to cope with this stress they can begin to search for new treatments that target this protein, leading to new and better ways to treat AML in the future.
Funding
This project is part of the innovative pilot grant round.