Level C· Early human research exploring benefitsProspective StudyEurope PMCOpen access

2193 : Targeting MELK in acute lymphoblastic leukemia, new therapeutic approach

Prospective Study, published in J Clin Transl Sci (2017) — summary generated from the PubMed abstract.

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Level C· Early human research exploring benefitsEvidence level of this study

Early human evidence such as case series or small samples is exploring possible benefits.

  • Level A · Stronger Clinical Evidence
  • Level B · Emerging clinical evidence with positive signals
  • Level C · Early human research exploring benefits
  • Level D · Scientific groundwork from lab and animal studies
  • Emerging · Emerging topic under active research
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This page is generated from the PubMed record. The Thai description is an automated summary of bibliographic fields and the abstract, not a full translation, and is not medical advice.

Study type
Prospective Study
Journal
J Clin Transl Sci (2017)
Reported sample size
—
Source database
Europe PMC
PMCID
PMC6799002

Abstract (original English)

OBJECTIVES/SPECIFIC AIMS: Unlike the high cure rates (90%) of children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), that of adults is still lagging behind and better therapies are needed. Maternal embryonic leucine-zipper kinase (MELK) is aberrantly upregulated in cancer, and implicated in cancer stem cell survival. A recent study has identified FOXM1, a MELK substrate, as a therapeutic target in B cell ALL (B-ALL). Thus, we hypothesized that MELK may act as a therapeutic target in ALL via targeting FOXM1 activity. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: Western blot and qPCR were used to assess MELK expression in 14 ALL cell lines. Knock-down and kinase inhibition approaches targeting MELK expression and function, followed by CCK-8 and Annexin V (flow cytometry) assays to measure cell viability and apoptosis, respectively. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: MELK was significantly upregulated in patients with ALL (oncomine data analysis). MELK was also significantly higher in B-ALL and T-ALL cell lines compared with that in blood cells of healthy donors. MELK knock-down significantly decreased cell viability (40%–70%, p<0.05, Fig. 1) in ALL cells, and induced apoptosis (~40%). OTS167, a potent MELK inhibitor exhibited cytotoxic activities in both B and T-ALL cells. The IC50 of OTS167 ranged from 20 to 60 nM; we also found a significant increase in apoptosis (p<0.05). Mechanistically, MELK inhibition r

What this study does not prove

  • • This study does not prove SVF is an approved treatment or a replacement for standard care.

Evidence level

Early human evidence such as case series or small samples is exploring possible benefits.

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