Zurich University Children's Hospital Is Working to Optimise Leukemia Treatments

(CONNECT) Researchers at the University Children's Hospital Zurich are working to individually optimise the combination of drugs used to treat acute lymphoblastic leukemia in children. To this end, a group of researchers at the hospital led by Fabio Steffen, head of the Department of Functional Precision Oncology, conducted an extensive study from 2016 to 2023 using data from 340 patients in 17 European countries, according to a press release from the University of Zurich. In conducting and analyzing the study, the researchers used computer-aided methods such as machine learning in combination with modern laboratory technology.

This resulted in approximately 135,000 individual data points. Researchers have now achieved initial success in analysing microscopy images of cancer cells using artificial intelligence. Their so-called Drug Response Profiling (DRP) provides a comprehensive overview of whether and how the various combinations of active ingredients work in each case.

According to the press release, patients responded to DRP-based therapy in about two-thirds of cases. "Given how resistant this disease is, this rate can be considered a success," says Steffen. The researcher cautions against jumping to conclusions, however. However, for certain medications, “thanks to drug response profiling, the first signs of an actual improvement in clinical benefit” are becoming apparent. The hospital is now also using the DRP procedure to treat other types of cancer, such as brain or bone tumors. ce/hs