ATG4TALL is a preclinical platform for testing new drugs for T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
Childhood Leukemia
Childhood leukemia is similar to adult leukemia but can present certain peculiarities. Acute leukemia is a type of cancer characterized by the spread of cancerous cells from bone marrow stem cells. These cells multiply chaotically, invade the bone marrow, enter the bloodstream, and can spread throughout the body. This proliferation hampers the production of all blood cells (white and red blood cells, platelets). In 2023, this disease remains the most common cancer in children, accounting for about 30% of pediatric cancer cases.
The two main types in children are acute lymphoblastic leukemia (80% of cases) and acute myeloid leukemia. The exact causes of childhood leukemia are not always clearly defined, but they are thought to be linked to genetic, environmental factors, or a combination of specific events occurring at the stem cell level in the bone marrow.
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About ATG4TALL
Although acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is generally well-treated, the T-cell subtype that does not respond to initial treatment or relapses is much more challenging to cure. Indeed, only two or three out of ten children will be cured. Furthermore, finding better treatments for T-ALL has been difficult due to the low number of patients in each country. To overcome this, 14 European countries have united to develop a unique clinical trial for children, adolescents, and young adults called ALLTogether. Because this trial is so extensive, we now have a golden opportunity to study T-ALL patients. This will allow us to understand why some T-ALLs do not respond to chemotherapy and to find new drugs for relapsed T-ALL patients.
This project aims to study the changes in genes and proteins of non-responsive T-ALL cells after expanding these cells in immunodeficient mice. Artificial intelligence will be used to create simulations of the cellular composition of leukemias to predict responses to new treatments. Additionally, this project will eventually test combinations of existing drugs on resistant leukemic cells.
Moreover, the researchers involved in this very large study will share this valuable resource of patient samples, gene and protein analyses, and new drug treatments with doctors and scientists across Europe (and beyond), particularly within the INTreALL consortium, which includes Imagine for Margo, to improve cure rates for T-ALL patients.
Summary of ATG4ALL
- Coordinating Investigators: Dr. Frank N. van Leeuwen
- Program Duration: January 2024 – January 2026
- Countries Involved: Belgium, Germany, France, Portugal, Ireland, UK, Sweden
- Fight Kids Cancer Funding: €499,124, including €180,958 from Imagine for Margo
