UPI - Friday, February 11, 2005 Date: Friday, February 11, 2005 4:04:53 PM EST
BOSTON, Feb. 11 (UPI) -- U.S. and Swiss researchers have designed a new drug to treat chronic myelogenous leukemia that ultimately could be more effective than the current treatment. Researchers from the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston and Novartis Pharmaceuticals in Basel, Switzerland, created a drug based on Gleevec, the current treatment, that causes longer remissions. Approximately 95 percent of CML patients treated with Gleevec currently achieve remission. Gleevec blocks the growth of an abnormal protein present in leukemia cells, but it only blocks growth briefly, because it does not bond strongly to the protein and patients eventually develop a resistance. The researchers determined the crystal structure of the abnormal protein and constructed a compound that would lock onto the receptor more securely than Gleevec. In experiments with laboratory samples of leukemia cells, the new drug killed the cells more effectively than Gleevec, and in follow- up studies with mice it produced lengthier remissions. Researchers are testing new drug at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center and if proven safe, it will be tested on CML patients at Dana-Farber and other sites, they said. -- Copyright 2005 by United Press International. All rights reserved. ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Help save the life of a child. Support St. Jude Children's Research Hospital's 'Thanks & Giving.' http://us.click.yahoo.com/0iazvD/5WnJAA/xGEGAA/8zSolB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> New! Sign up for local CML support group meetings in your local community at http://cml.meetup.com Apply for Commercial Real Estate loans online and submit your deal to dozens of hungry lenders in just minutes. Loan programs for all types of business and commercial real estate. Apply anytime at http://realestatezoo.com CML (Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia Support List) --------------------------------- Part Of CMLHope.Com An International Community Of CML Patients For more information: http://cmlhope.com Post Message: [email protected] Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Change To No Mail/Web: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Change To Digest: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Change To Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] List Help: [EMAIL PROTECTED] CML Group Web Site http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CML Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CML/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
