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Research on low toxicity treatment for childhood leukaemia
Newly published research carried out using synthetic human bone marrow cells is paving the way for the development of safer and kinder treatments for children with leukaemia.
Leukaemia is the most common cancer in children under 15, with over 650 children and young adults in the UK affected each year. Childhood leukaemia is almost always acute, meaning it develops quickly and symptoms can include tiredness, breathlessness, bruising or bleeding easily and suffering severe, long-lasting infections. Research progress over the last few decades has dramatically improved survival rates, which are now over 80%. However, treatment resistance and treatment toxicity remain major clinical challenges that urgently need resolving in order to further reduce lives lost from leukaemia and to prevent lifealtering side effects of drugs used in cancer treatment. A new study, conducted by experts at Northumbria University, Newcastle University, the Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric Oncology and the University of Glasgow, has revealed an innovative way of mediating these challenges. Currently in its early stages, the research could lead to anti-cancer treatments that mitigate side effects while also showing improved efficacy. By using a low toxicity drug which has not previously been used to treat leukaemia and combining it with dexamethasone – a drug which is routinely given to cancer patients – scientists found that the treatment was more effective in killing leukaemia cells and the combination did not cause any added toxicity. To test this method of treatment, the team of researchers, led by Northumbria University Assistant Professor Dr Deepali Pal, developed an artificial bone marrow using human stem cells to study the interaction of leukaemia cells with its surrounding, known as the ‘cancer niche’. Crucially, investigating cancer biology and consequently treatments using this novel approach is also helping to replace the use of animals in cancer research. Findings from the study, which was funded by the National Centre for the Replacement Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research (NC3Rs), the Children’s Cancer and Leukaemia Group (CCLG) and Cancer Research UK, have been published in openNORTHUMBRIA PHD STUDENT JESSICA PARKER, WHO WORKED ON THE PROJECT WITH DR DEEPALI PAL
Finding a kinder treatment for childhood leukaemia
access journal Cell Reports Medicine. Dr Deepali Pal, previously an NC3Rs Fellow at Newcastle University, said: “We developed a New Approach Methodology (NAM) or non-animal approach, to replace and reduce the use of animals in cancer research. We show that this NAM made of synthetic human bone marrow cells enables us to study patient-derived leukaemia cells in a clinically relevant manner. We have also studied how the leukaemia cells interact with its surrounding bone marrow cells and consequently detect a potential new low toxicity treatment for leukaemia. Our aim is to continue developing such human relevant sustainable techniques that limit the use of animals in medical research to find safer and kinder anti-cancer treatments.” Northumbria recently ranked 8th in the UK for research power for professions allied to health, such as cellular and molecular sciences, in the latest Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021.
The paper, entitled ‘hiPSC-derived bone marrow milieu identifies a clinically actionable driver of nichemediated treatment resistance in leukemia’ and a full list of authors can be found online at www.cell. com/cell-reports-medicine. “OUR AIM IS TO CONTINUE DEVELOPING SUCH HUMAN RELEVANT SUSTAINABLE TECHNIQUES THAT LIMIT THE USE OF ANIMALS IN MEDICAL RESEARCH TO FIND SAFER AND KINDER ANTI-CANCER TREATMENTS.”
DR DEEPALI PAL
Inequality research wins high profile support Below: Professor Matthew Johnson delivering the keynote academic speech at the Basic Income North Conference in Manchester
The First Minister for Wales has endorsed research outlining the public health case for a Universal Basic Income (UBI), launched by a Professor of Politics at Northumbria University.
Professor Matthew Johnson gave the keynote academic speech at the Basic Income North conference held in Manchester to mark the publication of an interim research report backed by the Royal Society for Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA) and supported with a powerful foreword by Welsh First Minister, Mark Drakeford. Professor Johnson, who is working with a number of research partners to compile a body of evidence on the impacts of a regular government-backed payment for all citizens, addressed the event alongside Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham and Baroness Natalie Bennett, former Leader of the Green Party. In his foreword, Mr Drakeford outlines the trial launched by the Welsh Government in July to provide care leavers with a Basic Income, and says that he hopes the results “will support a national consensus that Basic Income has a central role to play in addressing inequality”. Projections developed for the study named ‘Levelling the mental health gradient among young people: How Universal Basic Income can address the crisis in anxiety and depression’, suggest between £99m and £160m could be saved every year in mental health support for 16 to 24-year-olds who would benefit from the introduction of a Universal Basic Income. Other key findings outlined in the report demonstrate why a Universal Basic Income is both affordable and popular and could be used as a preventative public health strategy. It articulates how money can affect mental health and that trials, such as the Basic Income pilot in Wales, can be evaluated to further the understanding of the impact on mental health.
POLITICIANS HAVE ASSUMED THE IDEA OF A
UNIVERSAL BASIC INCOME IS UNPOPULAR.
BUT WHAT WE HAVE FOUND IS, WHEN
IT’S EXPLAINED TO PEOPLE CORRECTLY
THAT IT WOULD ENSURE SOCIAL SECURITY
FOR HARDWORKING PEOPLE WITH AN
ACCEPTABLE STANDARD OF LIVING, IT
COUNTRY TARGETED FOR LEVELLING UP.”
PROFESSOR MATTHEW JOHNSON
“It’s clear that increasing people’s income through the introduction of a Universal Basic Income would be an effective public health strategy,” said Professor Johnson. “For whatever reason, many politicians have assumed the idea of a Universal Basic Income is unpopular. But what we have found is, when it’s explained to people correctly that it would ensure social security for hardworking people with an acceptable standard of living, it is actually a very popular policy – especially in those parts of the country targeted for Levelling Up.” The research, which began in August 2021 and was funded by the Wellcome Trust, serves as a pilot study for a much broader, long-term examination of the role of a Universal Basic Income as a public health measure. Working alongside other researchers from the University of York, the University of Bristol, the University of Oxford, the University of Liverpool, Newcastle University and Landman Economics, Northumbira has been involved in two further reports published by campaign group, Basic Income Conversation powered by Compass . ‘Tackling Poverty: the power of a universal basic income’, was released in May and ‘Winning the vote with a universal basic income: Evidence from the ‘red wall’, outlining the idea that a Universal Basic Income is a vote winner in traditional ‘red wall’ constituencies, was released in September.
