The role of hemoglobin-cytarabine in the selective death of acute myeloid leukemia cells

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a blood cancer with very poor prognosis, especially for patients older than 60 years of age. This is in part because of the severe toxicity of medicines available. Less harmful medicines are needed to better treat older patients. Therapure Biopharma Inc. has chemically linked the standard toxic chemotherapy medicine called cytarabine to the blood protein hemoglobin to make a potentially safer and more effective medicine to treat AML. In collaboration with the University Of Waterloo School Of Pharmacy, Therapure Biopharma Inc. will continue to test how well hemoglobin-cytarabine kills AML cells in the laboratory. These experiments will lay the ground work for a future study in patients to test the safety of hemoglobin-cytarabine in patients.

Faculty Supervisor:

Paul Anthony Spagnuolo

Student:

Alessia Roma

Partner:

Therapure BioPharma Inc.

Discipline:

Pharmacy / Pharmacology

Sector:

Pharmaceuticals

University:

University of Waterloo