Leukemia is a group of blood cancers that usually begin in the bone marrow and produce high numbers of abnormal blood cells. These blood cells are not fully developed and are called blasts or leukemia cells. Symptoms may include bleeding and bruising,bone pain,fatigue,fever,and an increased risk of infections. These symptoms occur due to a lack of normal blood cells. Diagnosis is typically made by blood tests or bone marrow biopsy.
Tumors of the hematopoietic and lymphoid tissues or tumours of the haematopoietic and lymphoid tissues are tumors that affect the blood,bone marrow,lymph,and lymphatic system. Because these tissues are all intimately connected through both the circulatory system and the immune system,a disease affecting one will often affect the others as well,making aplasia,myeloproliferation and lymphoproliferation closely related and often overlapping problems. While uncommon in solid tumors,chromosomal translocations are a common cause of these diseases. This commonly leads to a different approach in diagnosis and treatment of hematological malignancies. Hematological malignancies are malignant neoplasms ("cancer"),and they are generally treated by specialists in hematology and/or oncology. In some centers "hematology/oncology" is a single subspecialty of internal medicine while in others they are considered separate divisions. Not all hematological disorders are malignant ("cancerous");these other blood conditions may also be managed by a hematologist.
Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is a cancer of the lymphoid line of blood cells characterized by the development of large numbers of immature lymphocytes. Symptoms may include feeling tired,pale skin color,fever,easy bleeding or bruising,enlarged lymph nodes,or bone pain. As an acute leukemia,ALL progresses rapidly and is typically fatal within weeks or months if left untreated.
Pharmacogenomics,often abbreviated "PGx," is the study of the role of the genome in drug response. Its name reflects its combining of pharmacology and genomics. Pharmacogenomics analyzes how the genetic makeup of a patient affects their response to drugs. It deals with the influence of acquired and inherited genetic variation on drug response,by correlating DNA mutations with pharmacokinetic,pharmacodynamic,and/or immunogenic endpoints.
Mercaptopurine (6-MP),sold under the brand name Purinethol among others,is a medication used for cancer and autoimmune diseases. Specifically it is used to treat acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL),acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL),Crohn's disease,and ulcerative colitis. For acute lymphocytic leukemia it is generally used with methotrexate. It is taken orally.
Asparaginase is an enzyme that is used as a medication and in food manufacturing. As a medication,L-asparaginase is used to treat acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and lymphoblastic lymphoma (LBL). It is given by injection into a vein,muscle,or under the skin. A pegylated version is also available. In food manufacturing it is used to decrease acrylamide.
Tioguanine,also known as thioguanine or 6-thioguanine (6-TG) or tabloid is a medication used to treat acute myeloid leukemia (AML),acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL),and chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). Long-term use is not recommended. It is given by mouth.
Forodesine is a transition-state analog inhibitor of purine nucleoside phosphorylase studied for the treatment of patients with T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) and for treatment of B-cell acute lymphocytic leukemia (B-ALL).
Donald Paul Pinkel was an American physician who specialized in pediatric hematology and oncology. Pinkel made contributions to cures for several forms of childhood cancer,including leukemia.
Dr. William E. Evans,Pharm.D. served as St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital’s fifth director and CEO from 2004 to 2014. From 1986 to 2002,he chaired the St. Jude Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences,and from 2002 to 2004 served as the hospital’s scientific director and executive vice president. He also currently holds the St. Jude Professorship and Endowed chair at the University of Tennessee College of Medicine and Pharmacy.
The Simon Flavell Leukaemia Research Laboratory is based at Southampton General Hospital and named after ten-year-old Simon Flavell who died in 1990 from an aggressive form of T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). The laboratory specialises in researching and developing antibody type treatments for adults and children with currently incurable types of leukaemia.
The Pharmacogenomics Knowledgebase (PharmGKB) is a publicly available,online knowledge base responsible for the aggregation,curation,integration and dissemination of knowledge regarding the impact of human genetic variation on drug response. It is funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS),and is a partner of the NIH Pharmacogenomics Research Network (PGRN). It has been managed at Stanford University since its inception in 2000.
Nudix hydrolase 15 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the NUDT15 gene.
Christine J. Harrison is a Professor of Childhood Cancer Cytogenetics at Newcastle University. She works on acute leukemia and used cytogenetics to optimise treatment protocols.
Cancer pharmacogenomics is the study of how variances in the genome influences an individual’s response to different cancer drug treatments. It is a subset of the broader field of pharmacogenomics,which is the area of study aimed at understanding how genetic variants influence drug efficacy and toxicity.
T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) is a type of acute lymphoblastic leukemia characterized by an aggressive malignant neoplasm of the bone marrow. Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is a condition where immature white blood cells accumulate in the bone marrow,subsequently crowding out normal white blood cells and creating a build-up in the liver,spleen,and lymph nodes.
Julie Ann Johnson is an American clinical pharmacist and translational scientist. She currently serves as associate dean for clinical and translational research and holds the Dr. Samuel T. and Lois Felts Mercer Professorship of Medicine and Pharmacology at The Ohio State University College of Medicine. She is also associate vice president for research at Ohio State. Johnson comes to Ohio State from the University of Florida,where she was dean emeritus of pharmacy and a distinguished professor of pharmacy and medicine in the Department of Pharmacotherapy &Translational Research. For four consecutive years,she was a Clarivate Analytics Highly Cited Researcher in Pharmacology and Toxicology,indicating she was one of the "world's leading scholars in the sciences and social sciences in the preceding decade."
Howard L. McLeod is an American pharmacogeneticist and implementation scientist specialized in precision medicine.
James R. Downing is an American clinical executive. He is the president and chief executive officer of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.
Adele Kay Fielding is a British physician-scientist who is a Professor of Haematology at University College London. Fielding was President of the British Society for Haematology from 2020 until 2022.
