Early research shows potential CLL drug with peculiar properties

Preclinical research out of the University of Ireland, Galway, hints at a molecule with the potential to do incredible things for people diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL).

Researchers discovered that the molecule, known as PHA-767491 has some peculiar qualities when it meets up with circulating leukemia cells, qualities that other treatments in many cases have lacked, for one reason or another, such as:

-- Not only does it kill basic leukemic cells, it also appears to kill leukemic cells that have features often associated with chemotherapy resistance-- a potentially major step forward;
-- It also can target leukemic cells that are undergoing cell division within the lymph nodes, cells that typically are beyond the reach of current treatment modalities and often wind up serving as hiding reservoirs for progressively treatment-resistant cells.

Researchers were sufficiently convinced of the molecule's efficacy that they applied for and were granted a Phase I clinical trial of the molecule's parent compound at the HRB Clinical Research Facility at NUI Galway.

The reader should keep in mind that many different molecules prove effective at killing cancer cells in the lab and in animal studies but very few reach actual human trials.

Source: Medical News Today
Check out: The HRB Clinical Research Facility at NUI Galway