A new way to treat aggressive blood cancer more precisely

Gonçalo Bernardes

Fundación del Sector Público Estatal Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Oncológicas Carlos III, Spain

Acute myeloid leukaemia is an aggressive blood cancer that affects the cells responsible for producing blood in the bone marrow. Although treatment has improved, current therapies do not work well for everyone, and many patients still experience poor outcomes, particularly when specific genetic alterations drive the disease. This project explores how to target the abnormal cellular organisation that allows leukaemia cells to survive and grow.

Rather than focusing on one component alone, the research team will study how altered cell organisation supports the cancer and how to disrupt this process. The team has identified a promising compound that affects leukaemia cells. Drawing on expertise in leukaemia biology, chemical biology and drug discovery, they will continue to refine and test candidate compounds that interfere with cancer progression while preserving normal cell function.

The project could provide new therapeutic opportunities for people with acute myeloid leukaemia and limited alternatives. It may also open a broader route for treating cancers that depend on similar biological processes, supporting the development of more precise, effective and safer treatment options.

Selective Modulation of NPM1c-Driven Phase Separation as a Novel Therapeutic Modality in AML

€499,750.00