Targeting the MLL Complex in Leukemia

Sanford Stem Cell Institute Seminar Series

An episode of the Stem Cell Channel (Video) podcast, hosted by UCTV: UC San Diego, titled "Targeting the MLL Complex in Leukemia" was published on October 1, 2025 and runs 58 minutes.

October 1, 2025 ·58m · Stem Cell Channel (Video)

Summary

Scott A. Armstrong, M.D., Ph.D., of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, studies how certain aggressive forms of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) develop and survive. His work centers on a protein called menin, which helps leukemia cells keep cancer-promoting genes switched on. Armstrong’s team has found that blocking menin with specially designed drugs can shut down these gene programs, push leukemia cells to mature, and slow or stop the disease in lab models and patients. While some leukemias adapt by developing mutations in menin or finding other ways to survive, his research is revealing why certain genes are especially dependent on menin and how to target them more effectively. These discoveries are now shaping new treatments, drug combinations, and potential strategies for other cancers that rely on similar mechanisms. Series: "Stem Cell Channel" [Health and Medicine] [Science] [Show ID: 40875]

Episode Description