Imperial College, London: Scientists seek out cancer cells hiding from treatment

15th January, 2013.

Scientists hope to improve leukaemia treatment by investigating how cancer cells use 'hiding places' in the body to avoid chemotherapy drugs.


Each year 300 British children are diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, a cancer of the blood. The majority respond well to current therapies, but the disease returns in a quarter of patients. The long term outlook for adults is much worse, with initial treatments being effective in fewer than half of all patients.


Now, researchers from Imperial College London will begin a three year project to explore how some cancer cells evade treatment, thanks to new funding from blood cancer charity Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research.


Lead researcher, Dr Cristina Lo Celso, Lecturer in Immunology in Imperial's Department of Life Sciences, said: "We believe that some evasive cancer cells hide in protective compartments inside the body while patients receive treatment. If we understand where the cancer cells hide, we will be able to develop better ways to treat patients by eliminating all cancer cells and avoiding disease relapse."

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