![Better Leukemia Drug Targets]()
Each year 19,000 Americans are diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML)—a cancer with a five-year survival rate of only 24 percent. Better therapeutic targets are urgently needed, and one potential target is the PI3 kinase (PI3K) signaling pathway: Its abnormal activation is important for AML disease progression, yet its role in normal blood development remains unclear. The National Cancer Institute has awarded Kira Gritsman, M.D., Ph.D., a five-year, $2.1 million grant to study the role of PI3K variants and identify which ones are essential for normal adult blood formation and maintenance, and which contribute to AML progression. This research could lead to specific PI3K inhibitors that are more effective and less toxic than current AML treatment options. Dr. Gritsman is an assistant professor of cell biology and medicine. (1R01CA196973-01A1)
Posted on: Thursday, December 15, 2016