University of Sheffield

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Sheffield has been recognised for its world-class research into myeloma as well as important research helping to improve treatments for children with leukaemia.

One of the most significant side effects of myeloma is bone damage caused by build up of myeloma cells in the bone marrow. This causes severe bone damage and agonising pain for many patients.

Over the last two decades, our researchers in Sheffield have made a major contribution to the huge advances in the treatment of myeloma.

Relieving bone damage

Around 3,750 people are affected by myeloma in the UK every year. Up until 20 years ago treatments were rather rudimentary and neither cured nor relieved the devastating bone damage and pain suffered by many patients.

Our sustained investment in quality research in Sheffield over the last 15 years means there is now a new drug available to patients that prevents and repairs the bone damage caused by myeloma cells in the bone marrow.

This drug has been developed by Professor Peter Croucher at the Bone Biology Group, University of Sheffield. Professor Croucher’s research, which is supported by long-term Specialist Programme funding from Leukameia & Lymphoma Research, is focused on how myeloma affects the bone.

Professor Croucher has produced a drug that helps to prevent myeloma cells from destroying the bone. New research, led by Dr Andy Chrantry a colleague of Professor Croucher and supported by a Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research Clinical Training Fellowship, is looking at developing new drugs that actually repair existing bone damage.

More recently, the Bone Biology team have shown that these drugs are also able to target and destroy the cancer cells in the bone marrow. Fully understanding how the cancer cells interact with the bone marrow will lead to more new drugs that better target and destroy the myeloma cells at the source.

Personalising treatments for children

Children respond differently depending on variations in their metabolism to a drug 6-mercaptopurine. This is an important drug given to children with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) to prevent leukaemia from returning after chemotherapy.

Dr Lynne Lennard at the University of Sheffield, whose research we have been supporting for a number of years, has discovered a way of identifying how much of this drug each children needs.

Her research has shown that an enzyme in the liver controls the metabolism of this drug. For children who are deficient in this enzyme, the drug is highly toxic, but for children who produce too much of the enzyme, the drug may not work at all.

Dr Lennard is developing a test that detects levels of this enzyme and can be used by doctors to ensure that every child with ALL gets the best possible treatment.