KAT6A is a histone acetyltransferase involved in transcriptional co-activation, proliferation and differentiation of hematopoietic progenitor and stem cells. Mutations and translocations in KAT6A are oncogenic drivers in hematological malignancies.

A new method of CAR T-cell immunotherapy developed by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine could serve as a treatment for most blood cancers. Until now, CAR T-based immunotherapy for hematological malignancies has targeted the antigens CD19 for B cells, CD7 for T cells, BCMA for myeloma, and CD33 for AML.

Researchers from Zhejiang Ocean University and affiliated organizations have reported the discovery and preclinical evaluation of a novel potent histone lysine-specific demethylase 1 (LSD1) inhibitor, FY-21, being developed for the treatment of leukemia.

After CAR T-cell immunotherapy for leukemia, some children have a longer remission because the engineered cells remain active and control or prevent the growth of new tumor cells. A new collaborative study has found that these persistent cells expressed certain genes that could be identified through a transcriptional signature. The finding could explain why the treatment does not work in some patients, and potentially help to improve it, reducing relapses.

It has been previously demonstrated that the WNT gene/protein family member WNT5A is down-regulated in leukemia, and low expression of this tumor suppressor has been correlated with disease progression and poor prognosis. In a recent study, researchers from Universidade Estadual de Campina aimed to assess the role of WNT5A in leukemia and evaluate the effects of Foxy-5, (Wntresearch AB) a WNT5A-mimicking compound, on the progression of this disease.