Canadian researchers find potential new leukemia treatment with old antibiotic drug
(Toronto – Nov. 14, 2011) – Clinician-scientists in the Princess Margaret Cancer Program have found a promising approach to treating leukemia, using an old drug in a new way.
The proof-of-concept research published today in Cancer Cell (10.1016/j.ccr.2011.10.015) describes how the Canadian team discovered that the antibiotic tigecycline targets and destroys leukemia stem cells by cutting off the cell's energy production.
"If you think of all the cells in the body as a power grid, we've discovered that tigecycline can cause a power outage in leukemia stem cells, while ...

