Rutgers Scientists Discover How Leukemia Cells Evade Treatment
Dr. Christina Glytsou is an assistant professor in the Department of Chemical Biology. (Photo Credit: Rutgers University)
Researchers at the Rutgers Cancer Institute and RWJBarnabas Health have made a groundbreaking discovery regarding how Leukemia cancer cells resist treatment. Currently, the five-year survival rate of Leukemia is at 30% and the disease kills about 11,000 Americans each year. Senior study author Dr. Christina Glytsou, an assistant professor at Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy and RWJ Medical School, and a member of the Rutgers Cancer Institute said her team found that mitochondria in cancer cells change their shape to prevent the cell suicide induced by cancer treatments.
So far, experimental compounds preventing this resistance to treatments have been tested on mice, but are still not yet refined enough to be tested on humans. Although the research is still in its early stages, the discovery offers a promising direction for treating resistant leukemia and potentially other cancers, according to Glytsou.
Story by Noah Choi.