London, 30 mar (EFE).-scientific British have discovered an enzyme which medications to combat acute myeloid leukemia, a very aggressive cancer with a percentage go low survival, explained to Efe researcher Tim Somervaille.
2.380 Cases of this disease, which produces a decrease in red blood cells and platelets in the blood and whose incidence increases with age are diagnosed each year in the United Kingdom.
Currently, 40 percent of the patients under sixty years achieved disease survive five years or more after having been diagnosed.
A team of Paterson Institute for Cancer Research at the English University of Manchester discovered that this enzyme, called LSD1, helps to control if the genes responsible for this cancer are activated or not.
According to the experts, block this enzyme would prevent the production of proteins that drive the disease, which is a “totally new” approach in dealing with this ailment, as detailed Somervaille, of the public organization, Cancer Research UK.
Thanks to this finding, this agency experts managed to curb the growth of the leukemia cells in samples taken from mice and human, for which he used a set of molecules that stopped the activity of the enzyme responsible for.
“Have found a new target, an enzyme in cells, where it inhibits causing leukemia cells stop growing.” “We are very excited,” said Efe Somervaille, following the publication of an article on the study in the latest issue of the British medical journal “Cancer Cell”.
“is difficult to treat successfully to these patients because there are not many medications diana (those that target a specific therapeutic objective) available and traditional treatments as aggressive chemotherapy and bone marrow transplants do not work in all patients.” “It is urgent to develop new cures,” stressed Somervaille.
Research, which began nearly four years ago, it is still in the first phase in the development of a new drug process, stressed the expert, who was optimistic with deadlines because in his view the industry has shown interest in this enzyme.
“It is very early yet, but we hope that clinical trials in humans begin very soon, in a year or two at most, because several laboratories already working on drugs to inhibit this enzyme,” noted Somervaille.
However, if clinical trials had success still would take between three to five years that the drug was available.
A researcher looks through a microscope in a laboratory of neurodegenerative diseases. EFE/file
