Blocking a sugar-processing pathway inside leukemia cells to treat acute myeloid leukemia
Official title: Targeting Hexosamine Biosynthetic Pathway and O-GlcNAcylation to Treat Acute Myeloid Leukemia
Funded at Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center · NIH-11206881 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project aims to block a sugar-processing pathway (the hexosamine biosynthetic pathway) and reduce O-GlcNAc on proteins to kill AML cells while sparing normal blood cells in adults with AML.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Cleveland, United States) |
| Project start | July 1, 2024 |
| Project end | June 30, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| NIH project number | 5I01BX005941-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11206881 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults (age 21+) with acute myeloid leukemia, particularly older patients (65+) and Veterans or those with relapsed/refractory disease, would be the ideal candidates to provide samples or be future therapy recipients.
✕Less likely to help
People without AML (for example those with other blood cancers or solid tumors), or patients seeking immediate approved treatment rather than experimental approaches, are unlikely to receive direct benefit from this project.
What this research studies
If you have AML, this work focuses on a sugar-related pathway inside leukemia cells called the hexosamine biosynthetic pathway (HBP) and a protein change called O-GlcNAc. The team will use samples from AML patients and lab and animal models to test drugs that block HBP or lower O-GlcNAc to see if they eliminate leukemia-initiating cells that can cause relapse. They will compare effects on leukemia versus normal blood cells and study mechanisms that let some leukemia cells survive chemotherapy. The goal is to generate leads that could become new treatments for older adults and Veterans with AML.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this approach could lead to new therapies that remove relapse-driving leukemia cells and improve survival for adults with AML, especially older Veterans.
How similar studies have gone: Preclinical work, including results reported by this team, showed that inhibiting HBP and O-GlcNAc can kill AML cells in the lab while sparing normal cells, but clinical testing in patients remains unproven.
Where this research is happening
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Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center
Cleveland, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Ramakrishnan, Parameswaran — Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center
- Study coordinator: Ramakrishnan, Parameswaran
Related research
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Targeting the protein housekeeping system in adult leukemia
Researchers are testing a new approach to treat acute myeloid leukemia by disrupting how AML cells manage their proteins, with the goal of helping patients live longer and healthier lives.
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A scientist team is studying how accessory proteins in gene-regulating complexes affect acute myeloid leukemia and whether they can be targeted for safer, more precise therapies.
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A new approach aims to block how a specific leukemia subtype (CG-AML) takes up choline to feed its growth, potentially slowing or stopping the disease.
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.