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Theo Menswar Innovation for AML Grant

Project Title

Combination therapy using a novel Raf dimer inhibitor in pediatric AML

Layman’s summary

Pediatric acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a highly lethal cancer with poor outcomes that have failed to improve for decades. Many children with AML have genetic mutations in their cancers that cause the RAS biochemical pathway to become overactive, making their cancer cells highly aggressive and difficult to treat. While the RAS pathway is an attractive target for therapeutics, there has been little success in this area despite decades of research. Dr. Levinson will study a new type of anti-RAS pathway drug called belvarafenib, which has already been tested in adults with solid tumors and has been shown to be safe. The goal of this study is to generate a complete set of data that justifies the first clinical trial of belvarafenib in children with AML.

Anya Levinson

This Project By The Numbers

  • Years Active
    3 Years
  • Amount Awarded
    $100,000
  • Institution
    University of California, San Francisco