University of California has opened a new door for the Leukemia patients. Latest research implies to the discovery of an indictor through which leukemia can progress into a deadlier stage of the disease.
Currently no methods are available to detect the transformation of these cells into the blast stage. According to Catriona H.M. Jamieson, MD, PhD, this will make a considerable progress in treatment. The main advantage is that we can predict when a patient is moving from the chronic phase to the blast crisis stage. This will help the physicians to intervene before it is too late.
Dr. Jamieson currently serves as an assistant professor of medicine at the University of California - San Diego School of Medicine. Dr. Jamieson is also the Director for Stem Cell Research at the Moores UCSD Cancer Center.
How does it work?
The research provides an indicator of when Chronic Myeloid Leukemia is progressing. As a result an accurate prediction of the disease is possible.
The researchers were able to discover the effect of a molecular off switch known as Glycogen Synthase Kinase (GSK) 3 beta. When the GSK becomes faulty, it fails in its function to turn off beta catenin. Beta cantenin enables the development of pre-leukemia stem cells into leukemia stem cells. It also helps to and expands their numbers. This leads Chronic Myeloid Leukemia to a blast crisis stage.
This study defines the errant off switch GSK as the potential therapeutic target in treatment. As result, more effective and personalized therapies can be designed.
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