New drug hits leukemia early

Molecular approach shows promise against deadly blood cancer

A new drug can halt budding leukemia in mice by binding to a key protein on the surface of blood cells predisposed to becoming cancerous, researchers report in the July 2 Cell Stem Cell.

This and other studies have paved the way for preliminary testing of a version of the drug for people with acute myeloid leukemia, a particularly lethal form of the blood cancer.