Investigating the Effects of Magnolia-Based Pharmaceuticals on Leukemia Cells
The University of Rochester and its Wilmot Cancer Institute have made a significant breakthrough in the fight against acute myeloid leukemia (AML). A team of scientists, chemists, and biomedical engineers, led by professors Danielle Benoit, Ph.D., John DiPersio, Jeffrey Rubnitz, and Andrew Kung, have developed a potential new drug for AML.
The drug, derived from plants in the magnolia family, is called micheliolide. The team invented a new synthetic version of micheliolide with increased stability, making it more effective for medical use.
The use of nanotechnology in medicine is a growing field, providing an alternate way to carry medical therapies to their intended cell targets. In this case, the drug is delivered using nanoparticles designed to swiftly reach the bone marrow.
Rudi Fasan, Ph.D., the Andrew S. Kende Professor of Chemistry at the UR, is also part of the team. Ben Frisch, Ph.D., assistant professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine and Biomedical Engineering, whose lab is at Wilmot, is conducting tests on the investigational drug's potency and navigation of the bone marrow in mice.
The team's work is detailed in a paper published in the journal Advanced Therapeutics. The paper describes progress towards selectively destroying the stem cells at the root of acute leukemia, a disease with a generally low survival rate.
The project was launched in 2017 with University of Rochester seed funding. It was further supported by the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, a UR Clinical Translational Science Award, and a Drug Discovery Grant.
While further research is needed before the system can be evaluated in human clinical trials for the new drug, the potential for this breakthrough is promising. Nanoparticles, which are also used in mRNA vaccines against COVID-19, demonstrate their potential in medicine.
The new synthetic version of micheliolide has increased stability compared to previous versions, making it a significant step forward in the development of effective treatments for AML. The team's work underscores the importance of continued investment in medical research and the potential of nanotechnology in medicine.
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