Targetable leukaemia dependency on noncanonical PI3Kgamma signalling. (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38720074/)

These scientists wanted to understand more about how a protein called PI3Kgamma is involved in different types of cancer. They studied a specific kind of cancer called acute leukemia, which is a type of blood cancer.

To do this, the scientists used a special tool called CRISPR interference screening, which helps them see which genes are important for cancer cells to survive. They found that some cancer cells in acute leukemia rely on the PI3Kgamma protein to stay alive and grow.

They also discovered that another protein called PIK3R5 works together with PI3Kgamma to make the cancer cells more active. By blocking PI3Kgamma using a drug called eganelisib, the scientists were able to slow down the growth of these cancer cells.

The scientists also found that combining eganelisib with another drug called cytarabine could help even more in treating the cancer. This combination was able to prolong the survival of the cancer cells in the laboratory, even when the cancer cells were not very sensitive to eganelisib alone.

Overall, this study shows that targeting the PI3Kgamma protein could be a promising way to treat acute leukemia in the future.

Luo Q., Raulston EG., Prado MA., Wu X., Gritsman K., Whalen KS., Yan K., Booth CAG., Xu R., van Galen P., Doench JG., Shimony S., Long HW., Neuberg DS., Paulo JA., Lane AA. Targetable leukaemia dependency on noncanonical PI3Kgamma signalling. Nature. 2024 May 8. doi: 10.1038/s41586-024-07410-3.