Congratulations to Dr. Oh who has received a research grant from Siteman Cancer Center to launch an investigator-initiated study aimed at improving treatment for serious blood cancers like myelofibrosis (MF) and myelodysplastic/myeloproliferative neoplasms (MDS/MPN). Current therapies for these conditions only work for some patients and often provide partial relief. MF, in particular, can cause severe anemia, spleen enlargement, bone marrow scarring, and debilitating symptoms, with median survival at just five years. In some cases, the disease progresses to an aggressive leukemia with survival measured in months.
This new study will be the first to test PMD-026, a drug currently in development for breast cancer, in blood cancers. PMD-026 targets RSK1, a protein tied to cancer cell growth, and has shown encouraging preclinical results, including eliminating disease cells in lab models. The trial will assess safety and tolerability as well as spleen size, symptoms, and bone marrow response, alongside advanced molecular analyses to understand how the drug works. This project is an exciting step toward developing more effective therapies for patients facing these challenging diseases. Congratulations to Dr. Oh and his team on this exciting opportunity.