Developing a new leukemia treatment
By Christine Cai |
July 8, 2012, Sunday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
FRENCH hematologist Hugues de The has been collaborating with Chinese scientists since 1995 and frequently travels between Paris and Shanghai. He takes part in research and helps train researchers.
His first trip to China was for a practical course in molecular biology in Shanghai in 1987. "It was a real cultural shock," he said in an e-mail interview. "China was so different from my own country."
He returned in 1993 to meet experts at Ruijin Hospital who shared his interest in treating a rare leukemia, which they have pursued to this day.
A very close collaboration began in 1995, he frequently visited Shanghai and his Chinese colleagues visited France. They frequently met at scientific conferences around the world. In 1995, a bright Chinese student visited his laboratory in Paris and some made pioneering observations. The student has now back in Shanghai and is instrumental in the active collaboration on leukemia.
In 2002 a common laboratory was established within Ruijin Hospital. This facilitated interactions with Chen Zhu, a leading hematologist and now the Minister of Health.
In 2005 the collaboration expanded. Since joint efforts began the two teams have demonstrated the clinical efficacy of arsenic trioxides in treating a rare leukemia and understanding the biological basis for this curative activity.
A curative regimen for the disease was developed, then came clinical patient trials that were initiated in Shanghai. Findings were published in 2004.
This approach has dawn worldwide medical interest.
"We have demonstrated that the ability of this drug association to cure patients was the reflection of its ability to trigger the degradation of protein that is the central driver for the disease. It was previously thought that the only way to target cancer-associated proteins was to inhibit their function," de The told Shanghai Daily.
"Our collective achievements demonstrated that targeting their stability was also achievable and actually clinically successful," he said.
He said his Chinese colleagues are also friends and that both groups of researchers have learned a lot from each other and provided significant help to each other in their work.
De The said Chinese scientists are getting better and better.
"In science, one of the most important things is to have time and ideas. Important findings are often made by chance, so they are difficult to predict or make them happen. One should be allowed to wait for chance to come and then catch it and drive the preliminary observations into a model and even sometimes into the definitive cure of a deadly disease," he said.
His first trip to China was for a practical course in molecular biology in Shanghai in 1987. "It was a real cultural shock," he said in an e-mail interview. "China was so different from my own country."
He returned in 1993 to meet experts at Ruijin Hospital who shared his interest in treating a rare leukemia, which they have pursued to this day.
A very close collaboration began in 1995, he frequently visited Shanghai and his Chinese colleagues visited France. They frequently met at scientific conferences around the world. In 1995, a bright Chinese student visited his laboratory in Paris and some made pioneering observations. The student has now back in Shanghai and is instrumental in the active collaboration on leukemia.
In 2002 a common laboratory was established within Ruijin Hospital. This facilitated interactions with Chen Zhu, a leading hematologist and now the Minister of Health.
In 2005 the collaboration expanded. Since joint efforts began the two teams have demonstrated the clinical efficacy of arsenic trioxides in treating a rare leukemia and understanding the biological basis for this curative activity.
A curative regimen for the disease was developed, then came clinical patient trials that were initiated in Shanghai. Findings were published in 2004.
This approach has dawn worldwide medical interest.
"We have demonstrated that the ability of this drug association to cure patients was the reflection of its ability to trigger the degradation of protein that is the central driver for the disease. It was previously thought that the only way to target cancer-associated proteins was to inhibit their function," de The told Shanghai Daily.
"Our collective achievements demonstrated that targeting their stability was also achievable and actually clinically successful," he said.
He said his Chinese colleagues are also friends and that both groups of researchers have learned a lot from each other and provided significant help to each other in their work.
De The said Chinese scientists are getting better and better.
"In science, one of the most important things is to have time and ideas. Important findings are often made by chance, so they are difficult to predict or make them happen. One should be allowed to wait for chance to come and then catch it and drive the preliminary observations into a model and even sometimes into the definitive cure of a deadly disease," he said.
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