ISAL 2017 | Perspectives in AML treatment: targeting apoptosis without chemotherapy by using BH3-mimetics
Andrew Wei, MBBS, PhD, FRACP, FRCPA, from the Alfred Hospital and Monash University, Melbourne, Australia, discusses perspectives in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) treatment at the International Symposium on Acute Leukemias (ISAL) 2017 in Munich, Germany. He explains his long-term goal of modulating the apoptosis pathway without exposing patients to chemotherapy, ideally targeted to leukemic cells and particularly leukemic stem cells. Dr Wei describes the small molecule BH3-mimetic drugs which target survival pathways. BH3-mimetics include venetoclax, which targets BCL-2, as well as others which can affect BCL-X and MCL-1. He introduces S63845, a new molecule with the ability to target MCL-1. Dr Wei concludes that BH3-mimetics present a new and promising avenue to treat acute myeloid leukemia.
