KARACHI: The Centre for Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research (CRM) of Aga Khan University (AKU) has won a Rs14.5 million grant to develop new, targeted therapies for a common form of blood cancer in adults; Philadelphia chromosome positive (Ph+) leukaemia.

“We aim to combine approaches in molecular medicine and stem cell therapy to create a more precise form of treatment that has the potential to be more convenient for the patient since it will only require a single administration,” says Dr Afsar Mian, the principal investigator of the study.

“We are anticipating that once introduced, the stem cells will grow and multiply in the body and continuously release the therapeutic peptide to target the cancer cells, inhibit their growth and ultimately cure the disease.”

Existing medicines for Ph+ leukaemia are currently proving to be less effective due to growing drug resistance and the problem of side effects. Also, they require life-long use by the patient and do not lead to complete eradication of the disease.

This innovative use of stem cells will also generate evidence on the use of peptides to provide targeted treatment in other types of cancers. In the future, Dr Mian and his team seek to combine their expertise in cancer research as well as drug design and delivery to see if such approaches can be used to treat other diseases.

The grant was awarded by the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan’s (HEC) flagship National Research Programme for Universities.

Published in Dawn, January 21st, 2021