Leukemia: Cancer Cells Killed Off with Diabetes Drug

Published Monday 16 October 2017

By Ana Sandoiu
Fact checked by Jasmin Collier

Scientists may have found an innovative way to kill off cancer cells in acute myeloid
leukemia, all the while preserving and regenerating healthy red blood cells.

The new study was carried out by researchers from the McMaster Stem Cell and Cancer
Research Institute at McMaster University in Ontario, Canada.

Mick Bhatia a professor of biochemistry and biomedical sciences at McMaster University

and director of the McMaster Stem Cell and Cancer Research Institute led the
investigation, and the findings have been published in the journal Nature Cell Biology.

As the scientists explain, conventional methods for treating leukemiafocus on targeting

leukemic cells, paying little attention to preserving red blood cells.

But the production of healthy blood cells in the bone marrow is crucial for preventing
leukemia patients from having anemia or fatal infections.

First study author Allison Boyd a postdoctoral fellow at the McMaster Stem Cell and
Cancer Research Institute says, "Our approach represents a different way of looking at
leukemia and considers the entire bone marrow as an ecosystem, rather than the traditional
approach of studying and trying to directly kill the diseased cells themselves."

"These traditional approaches have not delivered enough new therapeutic options for
patients," she continues. "The standard-of-care for this disease hasn't changed in several
decades."

The American Cancer Society (ACS) estimate that 21,380 people will be diagnosed
with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in 2017. Most of these will be adults, as AML tends to
target seniors. Almost half of these patients will die from the disease.
How a diabetes drug kills off cancer cells

To change these dire survival prospects, Boyd and colleagues collected bone marrow samples
from 34 "genetically diverse" patients with AML.

The researchers examined the patients' blood cell formation process and compared it with that
of healthy donors. Boyd and team then examined the behavior of individual cells both in
vitro, or in cell cultures, and in vivo, or in mice that had human cells transplanted into them.

The researchers found that the disease "disrupts the adipocytic niche" in the bone marrow.
And more specifically, they found that leukemia suppresses the bone marrow adipocytes
or the cells that store fat.

This led to dysfunction in the stem cells and progenitor cells, which, in a healthy body, would
later go on to form red blood cells. The maturation of red blood cells was therefore stopped.

To combat this, the researchers administered a so-called PPAR-gammaagonist a drug

commonly used to treat type 2 diabetes to the mice, and they found that it restored the fat
cells in the bone marrow.

This "rebirth" of fat cells "rescued healthy hematopoietic maturation while repressing
leukemic growth."

In other words, boosting the fat cells in the bone marrow regenerated the healthy blood cells
while killing off the cancerous leukemic ones.

Findings may lead to new therapies

Prof. Bhatia comments on the significance of the findings in the context of traditional anti-
leukemia therapies, saying, "The focus of chemotherapy and existing standard-of-care is on
killing cancer cells but instead, we took a completely different approach which changes the
environment the cancer cells live in."

"This not only suppressed the 'bad' cancer cells," he explains, "but also bolstered the 'good'
healthy cells, allowing them to regenerate in the new drug-induced environment."

"The fact that we can target one cell type in one tissue using an existing drug makes us
excited about the possibilities of testing this in patients," continues Prof. Bhatia.
"We can envision this becoming a potential new therapeutic approach that can either be
added to existing treatments or even replace others in the near future."

"The fact that this drug activates blood regeneration may provide benefits for those waiting
for bone marrow transplants by activating their own healthy cells."
PART OF SPEECH

1. Noun
Scientists Mick bhatia Approach
Way A professor The America
Cancer cells Director Cancer Society
Leukemia The investigation A diabetes drug
Blood cells The findings Samples
The new study Leukemic cells Progenitor cells
Researchers Bone marrow The maturation
The McMaster Leukemia patients Dysfunction
stem cell Infections The mice
Cancer research Study author
institue allison boyd

2. Verb
Have Found Looking Compared
Kill Considers Suppresses
Preserving Studying Stopped
Regenerating Trying Change
Was carried Have not Boosting
Led delivered Regenerated
Have been will be diagnosed Used
puslished will die Administered
Paying Change Restored
Explain Examined Took
Treating Transpalnted Bolstered
Preventing Found Added
Represents Disrupts Provide

3. Adjectiv
Innovative Healthy Conventional
Acute Myeloid Little Different
 Fatal Diverse Good
New therapeutic Adipocytic Bad

4. Adverb
Later
Therefore
at McMaster University in Ontario, Canada
in the journal Nature Cell Biology
in 2017

5. Conjungsi
And
But

6. Pronoun
Our
Themselves
She
Them

7. Interjection
-

8. Preposition

In As
While Then
By Of
From Into
At That