Molecular and Structural Investigations of a Novel Combination Therapy for Acute Myeloid Leukemia

Modern molecularly targeted therapies have shown promise in treating some blood cancers, but a cure remains elusive for most acute blood cancer patients. This is largely due to the survival of some blood cancer cells that possess unique properties and can cause treatment failure or relapse, highlighting the need for new therapies. In collaboration with SLC, we aim to develop an innovative combination therapy to effectively target acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patient cells that are resistant to current therapies. This pre-clinical study will evaluate the efficacy of a new AXL inhibitor (developed by SLC), alone or in combination with a BCL-2 inhibitor, in targeting primitive AML cells and their survival pathways in vitro and in vivo. We expect that this new combination strategy will be more effective in eliminating critical blood cancer cells compared to traditional drugs and provide directly proof-of-concept for a subsequent clinical trial.

Faculty Supervisor:

Calvin Yip;Xiaoyan Jiang;Leonard Foster

Student:

Partner:

SignalChem Lifesciences Corporation

Discipline:

Life Sciences

Sector:

Professional, scientific and technical services

University:

The University of British Columbia

Program: