Blocking enzyme could help in rare blood cancer

jerry submitted, created time 2 months 3 days (www.reuters.com)

An enzyme that fights some kinds of cancers may foster the growth of a rare type of leukemia that affects babies, U.S. researchers said on Wednesday in a finding that may lead to new drugs for the hard-to-treat disease. There is also talk of applications in Alzheimer's and diabetes.

The enzyme is called glycogen synthase kinase, or GSK3, and blocking it might be an effective way to treat this type of leukemia--for which chemotherapy is characteristically ineffective. Existing drugs used for bipolar disease seem to do a shaky but effective job.

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