Groundbreaking treatment kills aggressive blood cancer without harming healthy cells

A groundbreaking new treatment has been found to kill off a deadly blood cancer while sparing healthy cells - offering fresh hope to thousands of patients.

The new therapy targets acute myeloid leukaemia (AML), a fast-growing cancer that attacks the blood and bone marrow and kills around 80 percent of people diagnosed. The treatment is based on an immune system protein - antibody - that locks onto a specific cancer protein called NPM1 to destroy leukaemia cells. It works without the harsh side effects of traditional treatments.

In tests on lab models and patient samples, the breakthrough treatment wiped out AML cancer cells, and also restored healthy blood production.

Current AML treatments are brutal, often attacking both good and bad cells, leaving survivors with life-changing side effects. Experts hope the new discovery will lead to safer and more effective therapies.

Scientists at the Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, working with teams at Harvard and Boston Children's Hospital, discovered that a protein called NPM1 - once thought to live only inside healthy cells - is also found on the outside of cancer cells in AML.

It means doctors can now target AML cells more precisely, using the body's own immune system or lab-made treatments like the new antibody.

Dr Konstantinos Tzelepis, who led the UK team and is backed by the charity Leukaemia UK, said:

"This is an exciting step forward. AML is one of the hardest cancers to treat, but our discovery could open the door to better, safer options."

He added that the protein NPM1 is also found in leukaemia stem cells-the cells that can cause the disease to come back after treatment. By wiping these out, the new approach could help stop relapses and give patients a real chance at long-term survival.

Dr Maria Eleftheriou, one of the lead researchers, said: "Current treatments don't always work and often leave people with awful side effects. This new therapy could save lives and improve quality of life."

Unlike some treatments that only work for patients with certain gene faults, NPM1 is found in a wider group of patients, meaning this therapy could help more people.

Even more exciting, the same protein has also been spotted in other cancers, including prostate and bowel cancer, meaning this discovery could lead to new treatments for more diseases in future.

Fiona Hazell, CEO of Leukaemia UK, said: "This is a vital breakthrough for the thousands of families facing AML each year. It gives us new hope and shows the power of bold, early-stage research."

Every day, 27 people in the UK are told they have leukaemia, and AML alone affects over 3,000 people each year-including 100 children. Only 15 percent of AML patients survive five years after diagnosis.