Aptose Biosciences Joins OHSU to Fight Deadly Form of Leukemia

Tuesday, September 30, 2014

Kirsten Nicolaisen, GoLocalPDX Digital Producer

Photo credit: iStock

OHSU's Knight Cancer Institute is to partner with Aptose Biosciences on a new cancer research initiative, it was announced on Monday.

OHSU, Aptose, and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society will collaborate on an acute myeloid leukemia research project, "Beat AML."

Less than 25 percent of newly diagnosed AML patients survive beyond five years. It causes more than 10,000 deaths a year in the U.S., and treatment options have changed little in the past 30 years, according to OHSU.

"Beat AML" is a cancer research initiative led by OHSU that is aimed at developing therapies and a cure for the deadly form of cancer. Aptose Biosciences, a clinical-stage biotechnology company, will help accelerate the Beat AML Research, said Elisa Williams, a spokesperson for OHSU.

The research collaboration will collect samples from participating AML patients treated at OHSU, Stanford University, UT Southwestern Medical Center and Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah. Researchers hope to create a profile of the possible genetic drivers of the cancer, Williams said.

“Through the Beat AML collaboration we are able to simultaneously test the response of patients' leukemia cells to different drugs and combinations of drugs,” said Dr. Jeffery Tyner, a top leukemia researcher with the Knight Cancer Institute. “This research design also enables us to better assess the effectiveness of novel, targeted therapies based upon various genetic profiles of patients with the disease."