DGAP-News

Alacris Theranostics GmbH: Basis for new treatment options for a fatal leukemia in children revealed

DGAP-News: Alacris Theranostics GmbH / Key word(s): Study/Study
results
Alacris Theranostics GmbH: Basis for new treatment options for a fatal
leukemia in children revealed

29.07.2015 / 08:35

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Basis for new treatment options for a fatal leukemia in children revealed

Detailed molecular analyses allow new insights into the function of tumour
cells and options for new treatments

Berlin, 29th July 2015 - Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) leukemia is the
most common type of cancer in children. It can occur in various forms,
differing not only by specific changes in the genetic material of the
leukemia cells but also by their response to therapies. Now, an
international team of scientists from Berlin, Düsseldorf, Hannover,
Heidelberg, Kiel, and Zurich have succeeded in decoding the molecular
characteristics of an as yet incurable subtype of leukemia, paving the way
for new therapeutic approaches. Their results have been published in the
current issue of the journal Nature Genetics (27 July).

Although intensive research over the last decade has significantly improved
the survival rates of children suffering from ALL, a subset of patients
remains resistant to treatment. One example is the very aggressive and
incurable subtype associated with a t(17;19) chromosomal translocation,
which occurs due to breakage and aberrant fusion of genetic material in the
tumour cells, resulting in the formation of a new oncogenic protein encoded
by the genes TCF3 and HLF (TCF3-HLF-positive leukemia cells). Until now,
the molecular basis of this phenotype has remained elusive. An
international group of clinicians and scientists from different
universities and research institutions, with contributions from the
Berlin-based company Alacris Theranostics GmbH, has conducted an in-depth
analysis of the molecular features of the t(17; 19) ALL subtype.

The consortium team decoded the genome of the leukemic cells using
sophisticated bioinformatics methods. The team found genetic aberrations in
addition to the known translocation. "We are glad that we could contribute
to this important project with genomic data analysis of leukemia cells to
unravel some of the molecular changes in this disease", says Bodo Lange
(CEO, Alacris Theranostics). With the aim of identifying therapeutic entry
points for this incurable form of ALL, the transcriptome of the cancer
cells was also analyzed in great detail, enabling identification of the
genes active within the leukemic cell. The so-called expression profile of
the cancer cells was deciphered by means of RNAseq, a focus of research in