Alan Shih, MD, PhD

AML therapy has been improved greatly with azacytidine and venetoclax combination, now a standard of care for many patients. Azacytidine targets DNA methylation, an epigenetic modification, that regulates cell development and expression of genes. Venetoclax targets a pathway that allows leukemia cells to survive. However, this combination still does not lead to cure. This proposal hypothesizes that additional agents which target these pathways – epigenetics and cell death – may lead to new treatments and augment response to the azacytidine and venetoclax combination. Using screening approaches, new epigenetic-dependency genes may be identified and lead to new targets and drugs. A novel approach that activates cell death pathways may also enhance responses.