Based on progress to date, Dr. Annesley, Tap Cancer Out St. Baldrick’s Fellow, was awarded a new grant in 2014 to fund an optional third year of this fellowship. Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a malignant cancer of the white blood cells. Each year in the United States, approximately 10,000 adults and 1,000 children are diagnosed with AML. Only about 50% of these patients will be cured with current chemotherapy. Recently, mutations of genes have been shown to contribute to the development of AML, such as the FLT3/ITD mutation. Another mutation, Wilms tumor 1 (WT1) has been demonstrated in about 10% of patients with AML, but its effect on the development of leukemia is not well understood. WT1 and FLT3/ITD mutations can occur together, and patients with both mutations have dismal survival rates of 15%. This project attempts to prove that these two mutations can work together and may contribute to the formation of leukemia. It also attempts to show that mutations of WT1 cause cells to function abnormally, directly contributing to the development of leukemia. Early research shows that cells with WT1 mutations grow faster and more aggressively. Researchers have created the first model to study the interaction between FLT3/ITD and WT1 mutations. Ultimately, if WT1 mutations are shown to contribute to the formation of leukemia, the development of a drug that interferes with WT1 could improve cure rates in patients with AML.

This grant recognizes the partnership with Tap Cancer Out, a jiu-jitsu based 501(c)(3) nonprofit raising awareness and funds for cancer fighting organizations on behalf of the grappling community.