A group of researchers from the University of Padua and the Veneto Oncology Institute has published a study that identifies a combination of drugs capable of making therapies against T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia more effective.
There T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) it is an aggressive hematological neoplasm that originates from immature T lymphocytes and affects both children and adults. In recent decades, chemotherapy protocols have significantly improved survival, but the problem of resistance to standard therapies remains central to clinical practice. The data speaks clearly: approximately 20% of pediatric patients and until 50% of adults they develop a form of refractory disease already at the time of diagnosis, or during a relapse. In these cases, treatment options are drastically reduced and the prognosis becomes more uncertain. It is precisely on this front that the most advanced biomedical research is concentrated, with the aim of identify molecular mechanisms capable of explaining the survival of tumor cells and, above all, to neutralize it. It is in this context that the recent study conducted byUniversity of Padua and the Veneto Oncology Institutewhich aims to target the molecular mechanisms underlying the survival of leukemic cells.
The new therapeutic combination developed in Padua
The results of the research, just published in the prestigious scientific journal Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapyfrom the Nature group, identify a strategy capable of making tumor cells much more sensitive to the action of Venetoclaxa drug already used in oncology but so far not very effective as a single agent in patients with T-ALL. The research team demonstrated that blocking mTORC1a protein complex that is hyperactive in resistant leukemic cells, the so-called integrated response to stressa biological process that can lead to the programmed death of tumor cells.
Promising results in preclinical models
The efficacy of the therapeutic combination was tested in animal models, transplanting leukemic cells obtained from patients with T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. In animals with tumors sensitive to treatment, a marked reduction in leukemiaaccompanied by limited side effects on healthy blood cells. These are preclinical, but solid, findings that provide a robust scientific basis to boot future clinical studies targeted at patients with relapse or resistant disease. The study, conducted by researchers from the University of Padua and IOV-IRCCS, was possible thanks to the contribution of AIRC Foundation for Cancer Researchconfirming the central role of funded research in the progress of oncological therapies. For people affected by refractory T-ALL, this new strategy represents today a concrete hopefounded on precise molecular bases and on an approach increasingly oriented towards precision medicine.
