The project 'Analysis of new therapeutic targets involved in the modulation of the inflammatory response in juvenile myelomonocytic leukaemia', coordinated by Dr Emanuele Azzoni, researcher at the Department of Medicine and Surgery of the University of Milan Bicocca, is one of 21 projects funded nationally by the Cariplo Foundation and the Telethon Foundation in the field of basic research.
Juvenile myelomonocytic leukaemia (JMML) is a particularly rare childhood cancer for which the only treatment currently available is haematopoietic stem cell transplantation, which cures only half of the patients.
"In recent years, it has become clear that the loss of function of mechanisms that control inflammation is generally associated with a malfunction of the haematopoietic system. This has been observed in some myeloid leukaemias, for example, but also as part of the normal processes that lead to ageing. Juvenile myelomonocytic leukaemia (JMML) is a childhood haematological tumour for which there is still no definitive cure. In addition, the mechanisms that lead to the development of the disease are not fully understood. In our laboratory at the Department of Medicine and Surgery of the University of Milan-Bicocca, we have developed innovative models to study this leukaemia.
Thanks to the generous funding from Fondazione Cariplo and Fondazione Telethon, we will be able to spend the next two years studying the role of inflammation in the pathogenesis of JMML, which is still largely unknown. We hope that the results of our research will lead to concrete improvements in the management of this disease, in terms of new therapies that will benefit patients and their families' said Dr Emanuele Azzoni.
The project has received €250,000 in funding.