Did scientists just discover the Achilles heel of blood cancer?

Professor Ricky Johnstone’s team has made a significant discovery about a “sneaky” protein in the blood linked to an aggressive and deadly cancer.

Researchers may have found the Achilles heel of blood cancer, opening the door for new treatments for conditions like acute myeloid leukaemia (AML).

This is an aggressive form of blood cancer diagnosed in four Australians every day.

In children the survival rate is now 90 per cent, but in adults fewer than one in three with AML survive beyond five years.

In research published today, the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre (Peter Mac) team said they had found a key weakness in the drivers of AML, a disease where cancer cells invade the blood and bone marrow.

Professor Ricky Johnstone said the team found a key weakness in the drivers of AML, a disease where cancer cells invade the blood and bone marrow. Picture: Supplied

The team discovered how a sneaky protein turns genes on, keeping them in overdrive so that they grow and proliferate when they shouldn’t.

Senior author Ricky Johnstone said cancer cells are masters of hijacking normal gene control.

The executive director of cancer research at Peter Mac, he said this study showed the protein called CDK11 was a crucial player and that without it, aggressive blood cancer cells can’t survive.

“We discovered what CDK11 does in cancer cells,” Professor Johnstone said. “It’s a fundamental finding because it tells us a lot more detail about how genes are turned on and turned off.

“That’s important in a cancer context, because, ultimately cancer is a disease where genes that should be off are on, and genes which should be on are off. Understanding that process opens up a whole new strategy to treat these hard-to-treat cancers.”

Peter Mac researcher Dr Jennifer Devlin said the research gives a new angle on how to approach killing aggressive blood cancers like AML. Picture: Supplied

Lead author Jennifer Devlin said that unlike healthy cells, cancer cells rely on certain pathways to keep growing.

“This study pinpoints CDK11 as one such ‘Achilles heel’,” Dr Devlin said. “This research gives us a new angle on how we approach killing aggressive blood cancers like AML.”

She said by targeting this protein it may be possible to switch off the genes that cancer cells need to survive, without harming normal cells.

Professor Johnstone said the discovery offers an opportunity to alter these gene processes.

“And we know that cancer cells don’t like it, because when we inhibit CK11, the tumour cells basically keel over.”

He said Peter Mac was running approximately 480 active clinical trials with a particular interest in difficult to treat cancers including AML and other blood cancers.

“We are always looking for new treatments. We think this discovery adds to the armoury that may be used for both adults and children with blood cancers,” Professor Johnstone said. “And you know, we’re getting a greater insight into what makes cancer cells tick.”

The researchers think this discovery adds to the armoury that may be used for both adults and children with blood cancers.

He said while AI was revolutionising drug discovery, this research was the result of a fundamental science discovery.

“This is still key for developing new drugs that can be translated into the clinic,” Professor Johnstone said. “That knowledge creation and scientific discovery is still at the forefront of our ability to translate new treatments.”

The next steps will include drug development to target CDK11 and then clinical trials which Professor Johnstone said could realistically happen in the next two to five years.

The findings were published in Molecular Cell.

Originally published as Did scientists just discover the Achilles heel of blood cancer?