Random thoughts of Terry Hamblin about leukaemia, literature, poetry, politics, religion, cricket and music.
Monday, February 07, 2011
Acadesine - a new agent in CLL
I have been involved peripherally with Acadesine for several years now. It had the advantages of being a purine analog that didn't kill T cells and that had already been trialed (albeit at a lower dose) in over 1000 cardiac patients. A paper in Blood last October demonstrates that its activity in CLL is not, as had been previously thought, confined to its activity against adenosine monophosphate activated protein kinase (AMPK). There is another mechanism that is independent of TP53 or ATM status. This suggests that Acadesine might be even more useful if it reaches clinical practice.
Thanks, Dr. Hamblin. I have been also been following Acadra/Acadesine for a few years, but from a different perspective. I have 11-q deleted CLL and have been treated with FRC and then "topped-off" with Campath-1H. Though I'm in good shape in spite of having very few t-cells, it would be nice to know that my next treatment regimen included a smarter/gentler drug.
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