Our work on an enzyme that is mutated in leukemia patients has led to the discovery of an entirely new way of regulating this enzyme, as well as new molecules that are more effective and less toxic to human cells, said Norbert Reich, a distinguished professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and the corresponding author of the study.

A cells epigenome is copied and maintained by an enzyme called DNMT1. For instance, this enzyme ensures that a dividing liver cell produces two liver cells rather than a brain cell.

However, some cells need to undergo differentiation to become new types of cells. For instance, bone marrow stem cells can developall the various blood cell types, which are incapable of self-replication. DNMT3A, another enzyme, manages this.

This is not a problem until a dysfunction of DNMT3A results in the production of abnormal blood cells from bone marrow. This is a prominent factor in the development of several types of leukemia as well as other cancers.

Most cancer medications are intended to attack cancer cells while only leaving healthy cells. But this is quite a challenging process; therefore, most have severe side effects.

Current leukemia medications, such as Decitabine, bind to DNMT3A in a way that disables it. So that they slow the progression of the disease by obstructing the enzyme's active site, preventing it from continuing its function.

Unfortunately, the active site of DNMT3A is virtually identical to that of DNMT1, therefore, the medication blocks epigenetic regulation in patients' 30 to 40 trillion cells. This leads to off-target toxicity- one of the drug industry's largest bottlenecks.

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Researchers discover a new class of medications that offer a safer treatment for leukemia - Interesting Engineering