Researchers in Australia uncover new way to target aggressive blood cancer

The team found that AML cells, especially stem cells that drive relapse, rely on a common molecule called heme to survive and keep multiplying. When this process is blocked, the cancer cells die through a newly identified form of cell death known as cuproptosis, according to a statement of Australia's Peter MacCallum Cancer Center on Thursday.

"By blocking AML cells from producing heme, we can switch on cuproptosis, a unique form of cell death, and effectively kill the cells most responsible for causing a cancer relapse," said Alexander Lewis, postdoctoral researcher at Peter Mac.

"We've uncovered a fundamental weakness in AML cells ... This opens the door to new therapies that are potentially more powerful and longer lasting," said Lewis, lead author of the research, published in Cell and conducted with multiple Australian research institutes.

Each year, about 900 Australians are diagnosed with AML, with half relapsing after remission and median survival for relapsed patients between four and six months, researchers said.

"This discovery could lead to new treatments that not only kill AML cells but also prevent the disease from coming back after initial therapy," Lewis said, adding it "may be effective even in AML that has become resistant to standard drugs."

The study also identified additional metabolic pathways to combine with heme-blocking strategies for enhanced treatment efficacy, the statement said.

It is worth reminding, Kazakh scientists move to next stage of homegrown cancer drug trials.