If successful, this research could significantly improve the lives of patients by offering gentler, more effective treatments that reduce suffering and increase survival chances. The TARGET study is a collaboration between Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and the Centre for Blood Research at the University of York. The research funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) and the Medical Research Council (MRC) will focus on developing targeted therapies that are easier for patients to tolerate.
AML is an aggressive type of blood cancer that is very difficult to treat. Standard chemotherapy is highly toxic and often does not work long-term, as most patients experience relapse. The main reason for this is chemotherapy-resistant leukaemic stem cells. For patients, this means going through challenging treatments with a high risk that the cancer will return. The TARGET study aims to change this by developing safer, more effective therapies that directly target these resistant cells, preventing relapse and giving patients hope for a longer, healthier life.
The study will build on previous proof of concept work and focus on creating treatments targeting the most important types of cancer cells, that are easier for patients to handle. The goal is to develop oral treatments that patients can take at home, reducing hospital visits, and for the elderly to improve their overall fitness and get them home earlier. If successful, these treatments would improve quality of life by reducing side effects such as nausea, hair loss, the need for transfusions, or risk of infections.
In addition, these safer treatments could help older patients and those with other medical conditions, who currently have very few treatment options because of the risks linked to intensive chemotherapy.
Dr Anjum Khan, Consultant Haematologist at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust said: “Our standard treatment for acute myeloid leukemia is still based upon aggressive chemotherapy drugs developed many years ago. This study is a very exciting approach building upon recent technological advances. We’re developing safer kinder drugs without the toxic side effects – to prevent relapse whilst protecting healthy blood cells.”
Dr William Grey, Research Fellow in the Centre for Blood Research at the University of York said: “We are really excited to develop true bench-to-bedside research in Yorkshire to combine our scientific expertise with that of an outstanding hospital. We are leveraging multiple new technological advances to get to the core issue of how to eradicate a deadly disease without the need to put patients through the harshest chemotherapy, effectively aiming to change the way we treat the disease”.