The Autolysosomal Compartment as Target in Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Treatment

Project Summary:

Therapy-resistant cancer cells constitute the major challenge in the treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), the most common cancer in children. In order to improve cure rates it is thus important to introduce new drugs to the current treatment protocol.

We recently described how cationic amphiphilic drugs (CADs) selectively kill cancer cells by targeting acid sphingomyelinase (ASM) and thereby, the autolysosomal compartment. With the present collaborative project, we aim to determine whether targeting the autolysosomal compartment is of therapeutic potential for the treatment of ALL.

Employing

1. well-characterized ALL cell lines
2. ALL patient cells collected before and during the treatment, and
3. ALL xenograft models in mice

we will study the contribution of the autolysosomal compartment to the efficacy of current ALL treatments and test the ability of ASM- and other autolysosomal-targeting drugs to improve ALL prognosis.

Project Period:

01.07.2014-31.12.2016

Publications:

The project has not yet resulted in publications

Relevant links:

Unit of Cell Death and Metabolism

Pediatric Oncology Research Laboratory - Bonkolab