1-day course: Targeted Treatments for Cancers of the Blood
Level: Intermediate/advanced (Designed for research nurses and other staff working on haematological cancer trials; requires some prior understanding of cancer biology)
Description: This course introduces the unique cellular and genetic features of haematological cancers. It covers a range of targeted treatment approaches in use and in development for these cancers, including monoclonal antibodies and inhibitors of: FLT3, KIT, JAK2, BTK, NFκB, Bcl-2 and repressor fusion proteins.
Programme
Key concepts in leukaemia, lymphoma and myeloma
- Genetic mutations as the cause of all cancer
- Types of DNA damage in haematological cancers
- Consequences of chromosome translocations
- Unique properties of haematological cancers vs. other cancers
- Overview of approaches to creating targeted treatments for haematological cancers: targeting CD antigens, faulty signalling pathways, faulty cell processes and fusion proteins
Monoclonal antibody treatments against CD antigens on the cell surface
- How monoclonal antibody treatments are made
- Different types of mAb treatments: naked, conjugated, direct-acting and indirect-acting
- Monoclonal antibodies licensed in the UK for the treatment of lymphomas and leukaemias
Team quiz
Faulty signalling pathways and how to target them
- Receptor Tyrosine Kinases (RTKs) such as FLT3 and KIT
- JAK2 inhibitors
- mTOR inhibitors
- The B-cell receptor
Specific treatments for particular cancers
- Acute leukaemias: PML/RARα (ATRA and arsenic trioxide)
- Chronic Myeloid Leukaemia: Bcr-Abl inhibitors (imatinib, dasatinib, nilotinib)
- Myeloma: proteasome inhibitors (bortezomib and carfilzomib), thalidomide & lenalidomide
Practical exercise