Lichtgedanken 03

Rubrik 49 03 | LICHT GEDANKEN feron group switched to the other the- rapy, and »Imatinib« became the stan- dard medication for treating this form of leukaemia. The follow-up of the par- ticipants in the study is now providing valuable data relating to long-term the- rapy. Andreas Hochhaus: »The active substance is also effective when applied over the long term, so that patients are living free from CML symptoms for 10 years and longer. The IRIS study also showed that during this period, no criti- cal side effects accumulate or intensify.« Not least as a result of the experience gained from the IRIS study, chronic myelogenous leukaemia, with its cha- racteristic mutation, has become the model disease for the diagnosis and treatment of many cancers with com- plex genetic causes. Findings relating to the individual tumour biology can be used, for example, to make targeted interventions in the molecular tumour mechanisms and develop new thera- peutic approaches. Specific interactions of proteins and signal molecules—such that between »Imatinib« and the tyro- sine kinase—are therefore the focus of a current joint Cluster proposal by the universities of Würzburg and Jena un- der the Excellence Strategy programme of the German federal government and federal states (see box above). Standards established for therapy and monitoring The effectiveness of a CML therapy is demonstrated by patients entering re- mission with a reduction in the propor- tion of genetically modified blood cells still present. To determine remission, a quantitative molecular genetic method of analysis was developed for the IRIS study. This method is now standard for monitoring CML. If the proportion of white blood cells with the charac- teristic mutation falls below a specific threshold, the disease is considered to be in complete remission. »Recent therapy studies have shown that patients in deep remission can safely stop their therapy. This has ma- jor consequences for their quality of life and also for therapy costs,« notes An- dreas Hochhaus, who coordinates the German CML Alliance in Jena. This is a network of university centres, outpa- tient haematology specialists and pati- ent representatives. »Thanks to the fact that the IRIS study has substantiated the success of the targeted therapy in trea- ting CML, we can turn our attention to questions that go beyond ensuring pa- tient survival. These concern, for exam- ple, better procedures in CML treatment and the social and psychological aspects of living with the disease over the long term.« Contact Prof. Dr Andreas Hochhaus Department of Haematology and Medical Oncology Am Klinikum 1, D-07747 Jena, Germany Phone: +49 36 41 9-32 42 01 Email: Andreas.Hochhaus@med.uni-jena.de www.kim2.uniklinikum-jena.de Original Publication Long-Term Outcomes of Imatinib Treatment for Chronic Myeloid Leukemia. New England Journal of Medicine (2017), DOI: 10.1056/ NEJMoa1609324 The »receptome«, the sum of all receptor molecules of an organism, makes up more than five per cent of its proteins. Through interactions with other molecules, these molecular switches direct a large number of metabolic processes. Due to their function, receptors are ideal targets for therapeutic applications. The aim of the Cluster proposal is to unravel the receptome in all its diversity and use the knowledge thus obtained to develop innovative diagnostic procedures and personalised therapies for the treatment of diseases. It is a joint proposal by the Universities of Würzburg and Jena , headed by Prof. Markus Sauer (Würzburg) and Prof. Klaus Benndorf and Prof. Christian Hübner (both in Jena). Cluster of Excellence »Enlightening the Receptome: From Biophysics to Clinical Applications«