ASH 2016 | ABL001 – a new BCR-ABL inhibitor for chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) treatment

Jan Geissler • 3 Dec 2016

ASH 2016

Jan Geissler, Co-founder of the CML Advocates Network, discusses results from a Phase I study of the BCR-ABL tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) ABL001 for chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) treatment (NCT02081378), which were presented at the American Society of Hematology (ASH) Congress 2016 in San Diego, CA. ABL001, like current CML treatment drugs imatinib, ponatinib, nilotinib, dasatinib and others, acts by inhibiting the BCR-ABL tyrosine kinase. However, unlike the other available drugs, which all bind on the side of the BCR-ABL protein on which mutations are commonly found, ABL001 binds at a different site. Data are promising regardless of mutational status, and Jan Geissler argues that ABL001 may be a good candidate for combination treatment which will allow patients to enter the treatment-free remission (TFR) phase sooner.