Patients who need anti-platelet therapy after being fitted with a coronary stent gain no benefit from not receiving aspirin, according to a study presented at a major cardiology conference. Following percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with stent implantation, short durations of dual-anti-platelet therapy (DAPT) followed by P2Y12 inhibitor monotherapy have been shown to reduce bleeding…

A new gene therapy aimed at haematopoietic stem cells has shown promise in the treatment of sickle cell disease, according to the latest results of a clinical trial. The findings, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, add to the growing body of evidence that support gene therapy for treating the painful condition, researchers say. The University of Chicago Medicine Comer Children’s…

A new approach to treating heparin-induced thrombocytopenia has been developed by Japanese researchers. Heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) is the rapid and sometimes fatal clotting which occurs in up to 3% of people treated with heparin. The numbers of patients with this side-effect have increased globally, due to the increased use of heparin to treat severe COVID during the pandemic. The…

Scientists have announced new discoveries about the role of TET2 gene deficiency in the development of acute myeloid leukaemia (AML). Up to 20% of AML cases have deficiency of or mutations in the TET2 gene. This speeds up the development of leukaemia, driven by other mutations and translocations. However, the exact mechanisms of how TET2 increases leukaemogenesis have not been fully…

Researchers have identified factors that predict long-term outlook for people with AL amyloidosis. This condition, also known as light chain amyloidosis, is a rare disease involving deposits of abnormal amyloid protein that accumulates in tissues and organs, causing a range of symptoms. Diagnosis involves clinical evaluation with blood tests, tissue biopsies, and imaging. Now, Dr Vaishali…

People with compromised immune systems, including those with lymphoid malignancies, are less likely to have COVID-19 antibodies even after three or more vaccinations, researchers have reported. The MELODY study, led by a team of doctors and researchers from several UK institutions, found individuals were more likely to have antibodies if they were younger, had more vaccine doses or had previously…

Danish researchers have developed a gene-editing approach which they say could become a treatment for fusion-driven cancers including subtypes of acute myeloid leukaemia (AML). Researchers from Aarhus University, Denmark, used CRISPR/Cas9 to develop a gene therapy that deletes sections of genes which have become fused together, rendering these cancer-driving ‘fusion genes’ ineffective. They say…

A new drug in development for metabolic diseases could also benefit people with chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML). Researchers found that targeting CML cells with MSDC-0160, a drug being tested for type 2 diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease, weakened the cells and could potentially make them more susceptible to cancer treatments. The study was led by the University of Glasgow and published in Nature…