The results of a Phase 1 clinical trial of the experimental drug ivosidenib, led by researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, have been published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Ivosidenib is being developed as a cancer treatment, and the study looked at its effect on acute myeloid leukaemia. The full article can be found here, at the MD Anderson Cancer Center website.
Acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) is an aggressive form of cancer that affects the myeloid cells. Myeloid cells are a type of white blood cell that carries out multiple functions, including fighting infections and preventing tissue damage. AML develops when stem cells found in the bone marrow produce too many blast cells (immature white blood cells), causing a decrease in other important cells such as oxygen-carrying red blood cells and platelets that help blood to clot. Approximately 2,600 people in the UK are diagnosed with AML each year, with the most commonly affected age group being those over 65.