UT Southwestern scientists, working with colleagues at a sister institution in Houston, have identified a new target for battling a deadly form of leukemia.
The findings raise the possibility of a novel treatment for this subtype of blood and bone marrow cancer – known as acute myeloid leukemia or AML – by attacking a harmful molecule found on the cancerous cells and also reactivating the body’s white blood cells to fight them.
The study, published in Nature, found that the molecule leukocyte immunoglobulin-like receptor B4, or LILRB4, can turn off white blood cells that normally fight AML. The molecule also helps the cancer spread to internal organs such as bone marrow, the liver, and the brain.
