Daniel Herranz Benito, PhD, and colleagues from Rutgers Cancer Institute have identified an enzyme called SIRT1 present in patients with T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL). Using various in vivo genetic experiments, the researchers found that targeting and inhibiting SIRT1 results in very significant anti-leukemic effects.

According to Dr. Herranz, “SIRT1 could be explored as a new therapeutic target in patients, alone or in combination with current anti-leukemic drugs. The next steps would be to develop safe, specific, and potent SIRT1 inhibitors that could be tested in patients.”

Dr. Herranz is an assistant professor of pharmacology at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. His research was recently featured in an article on HealthNewsDigest.com and presented at the 63rd American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting in December 2021. The Leukemia Research Foundation supported his related research project on T-ALL in 2018.