News from UC San Diego Health System

Downright sneaky if you ask me...

Cancer Cells Co-opt Immune Response to Escape Destruction health.ucsd.edu/news/releas...

[HAIRBEAR_UK Founder Admin]

Interesting Talesin, Chris may have some CLL specific research in this area.

You may be interested in work aimed at countering this and using drugs to switch the autophagy signal to encourage cell death.

UK scientists have recently been awarded a LLR grant to investigate how CLL cells resist chemo therapy. Working with autophagy to treat CLL There are CLL studies that collectively demonstrate novel mechanisms of action between endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and drug resistance (autophagy) these may provide avenues for new therapeutic combination approaches in treatment of the disease. Novel Drugs that when used in combination improve response.

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"During autophagy the cell breaks down and recycles its damaged or surplus molecules, creating energy. However, autophagy can also promote cell death as well as protecting against it, depending on which signals are activated.

Dr Steele, a Lecturer in Leukaemia & Lymphoma at the University said: “Modifying how much autophagy occurs in the cell has a profound effect on whether the leukaemia cell lives or dies. Drugs exist that are able to switch autophagy from a pro-survival signal into a pro-death signal. We think that these drugs could be used to successfully treat CLL.”

The Southampton team will use a technique known as immunoblotting to identify levels of certain proteins within leukaemia cells during autophagy. Immunoblotting uses molecules called antibodies, labelled with a chemical detectable by photographic film, which seek out and bind to specific proteins within the cell. This technique will enable the researchers to track and understand which proteins are important to keeping the CLL cells alive.

Professor Chris Bunce, Research Director at Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research, said: “Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia is currently incurable with conventional drugs. Investigation of the biology of this disease allows us to understand how the leukaemia develops naturally over time and whether autophagy affects resistance to chemotherapy. This project could identify weaknesses within the leukaemia cells which can be targeted with new drugs.”"

[Cllcanada Top Poster CURE Hero]

This Canadian research follows a similar path...

'The research challenges conventional wisdom in the cancer research field that the variable growth properties and resistance to therapy of cancer cells are solely based on the spectrum of genetic mutations within a tumour, says Dr. Dick. Instead, the scientists have validated a developmental view of cancer growth where other biological factors and cell functions outside genetic mutations are very much at play in sustaining disease and contributing to therapy failure.

The new research published builds on decades of experience by Dr. Dick, who focuses on understanding the cellular processes that maintain tumour growth. In 2004, Dr. Dick published related findings in leukemia, but in the present study his team was able to compare the importance of genetic events with cellular mechanisms for the first time. It is also the first study of its kind in a solid tumour system.

Dr. Dick says the findings convinced him that the conventional view that only explores gene mutations is no longer enough in the quest to accelerate delivery of personalized cancer medicine to patients -- targeted, effective treatments customized for individuals.'

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