Current research into cancer drugs

Professor Ian Hitchcock in York is focusing on faulty versions of a gene called JAK2 that's found in a group of blood cancers called myloproliferative neoplasms. He's already found that the mutated version of JAK2 only works if it can act through a specific molecule called MPL. And as there are already drugs that can affect MPL, he believes that by targeting the molecule with drugs he can indirectly stop the effects of faulty JAK2, stopping these blood cancers in their tracks.

Professor Henning Walczak in London is working to target a cell death pathway triggered by a molecule in cells called TRAIL. He's investigating if targeting molecules in the pathway could work as a treatment for certain cancers where the TRAIL pathway is faulty. This could lead to the development of new treatments for people with these cancers.