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New study identifies strategy to treat therapy-resistant form of leukemia

More than 85% of Acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) patients can be cured.

4 min readPuneFeb 17, 2026 08:06 PM IST

New study identifies strategy to treat therapy-resistant form of leukemia

The study have been published recently in the Journal of Translational Medicine, a prestigious journal published by Springer Nature. (Image generated using Google Gemini)

One of the most curable forms of blood cancer is Acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL). For decades, doctors have been able to save thousands of lives worldwide using arsenic trioxide (ATO) as the main drug.

Today, more than 85% of APL patients can be cured. However, in about 8–10% of patients, this life-saving drug stops working and the cancer returns, leaving doctors with limited options. In these cases, arsenic is unable to kill the cancer cells.

“These patients eventually stop responding to ATO and relapse. For them treatment options are extremely limited and outcomes are poor,” Dr. Syed Hasan, Associate Professor at the Advanced Centre for Treatment, Research and Education in Cancer (ACTREC) R&D wing of Tata Memorial Centre, Mumbai said.

He explained that this is when an approved cancer drug Venetoclax comes into action, “We noted that the cancer cells changed their survival strategy. In these cases, arsenic is not able to kill cancer cells. Instead, the cancer cells change their survival strategy and derive their energy from their internal “power plant” called mitochondria. These cells also increase the production of BCL2, a protective protein which prevents the death of cancer cells. However this drug (Venetoclax) cuts off the cancer cell’s energy supply. “It pushes the resistant cancer cells beyond the level of survival,” Dr Hasan added.

These findings suggest that a drug already in clinical use could be repurposed to rescue patients whose “miracle” APL therapy has stopped working. Findings of this study have been published recently in the Journal of Translational Medicine, a prestigious journal published by Springer Nature. In this study, researchers explained why arsenic fails and how this resistance can be overcome using Venetoclax.

Deepshikha Dutta, Phd- SRF, Hasan Lab at ACTREC-TMC who was also part of the study said, “The drug increases the stress factor in the cell and reactivates natural destruction of the cancer cell. Venetoclax also triggers a cellular clean-up process, pushing resistant cancer cells beyond survival levels,” Dutta added.

“Importantly, Venetoclax worked at very low (nanomolar) doses in leukemia cells and it significantly reduced tumor burden and improved survival in multiple mouse models designed to mimic real-world, ATO-resistant APL. When we combined Venetoclax with ATO, the effect was even stronger: tumors shrank more, leukemia cells in the bone marrow dropped further, and mice lived longer than with drug alone,” Dutta said.

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According to Dr Hasan, since Venetoclax is already used in hospitals for other blood cancers, this discovery could be used for designing new treatment strategies for APL patients with relapsed blood cancer. This research offers fresh hope for the patients of relapsed APL, especially in countries like India, by transforming a deadly relapse cancer into a treatable disease once again.

“It offers hope for a group of patients who currently have no options and showcases Indian scientists and clinicians working together across basic research, patient samples, and animal models to solve a very practical clinical problem. This study also highlights how understanding cancer metabolism, energy uptake by cancer cells can be directly targeted for more precise treatments,” Dr Hasan said.

Anuradha Mascarenhas

Anuradha Mascarenhas is a Senior Editor at The Indian Express, based in Pune. With a career spanning three decades, she is one of the most respected voices in Indian journalism regarding healthcare, science and environment and research developments. She also takes a keen interest in covering women's issues . Professional Background Education: A gold medalist in Communication and Journalism from Savitribai Phule Pune University and a Master’s degree in Literature. Author: She authored the biography At The Wheel Of Research, which chronicles the life and work of Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, the former Chief Scientist at the WHO. Key Focus: She combines scientific accuracy with storytelling, translating complex medical research into compelling public and human-interest narratives. Awards and Recognition Anuradha has won several awards including the Press Council of India's national award for excellence in journalism under the gender based reporting category in 2019 and the Laadli Media award (gender sensitivity -2024). A recipient of the Lokmat journalism award (gender category-2022), she was also shortlisted for the RedInk awards for excellence in journalism-2021. Her debut book At The Wheel Of Research, an exclusive biography of Dr Soumya Swaminathan the inaugural chief scientist of World Health Organisation was also nominated in the Popular Choice Category of JK Paper AUTHER awards. She has also secured competitive fellowships including the Laadli Media Fellowship (2022), the Survivors Against TB – New Research in TB Media Fellowship (2023) and is part of the prestigious 2025 India Cohort of the WomenLift Health Leadership Journey.” Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) 1. Cancer & Specialized Medical Care "Tata Memorial finds way to kill drug-resistant cancer cells" (Nov 26, 2025): Reporting on a breakthrough for triple-negative breast cancer, one of the most aggressive forms of the disease. Discipline, diet and purpose; How a 97-year-old professor defies ageing'' (Nov 15, 2025) Report about Prof Gururaj Mutalik, the first Head of Department at Pune's B J Government Medical College who at 97 credits his longevity to healthy habits and a strong sense of purpose. 2. Environmental Health (The "Breathless Pune" Series) Long-term exposure even to 'moderate' air leads to chronic heart, lung, kidney issues" (Nov 26, 2025): Part of an investigative series highlighting that even "safe" pollution levels are damaging to vital organs. "For every 10 µg/m3 increase in PM2.5 level, there was 6-8% jump in medicine sales" (Nov 23, 2025): Using commercial data to prove the direct link between air quality and respiratory illnesses in Pune. 3. Lifestyle & Wellness News "They didn't let cancer, diabetes and heart disease stop them from travelling" (Dec 22, 2025): A collaborative piece featuring survivors who share practical tips for traveling with chronic conditions. At 17, his BP shot up to 200/120 mmHG; Lancet study flags why child and teen hypertension doubled between 2000 and 2020'' (Nov 12,2025)--A report that focusses on 17-year-old-boy's hypertensive crisis and reflects the rising global trend of high blood pressure among children and adolescents. 4. Scientific Recognition & Infrastructure For promoting sci-comm, gender diversity: IUCAA woman prof highlighted in Nature" (Nov 25, 2025): Covering the global recognition of Indian women scientists in gender studies and physics. Pune researchers find a spiral galaxy like the Milky Way from early universe'' (December 3, 2025)- A report on how Indian researchers discovered a massive galaxy that existed when the universe was just 1.5 billion years old , one of the earliest to have been observed so far. Signature Beat: Health, Science & Women in Leadership Anuradha is known for her COVID-19 reportage, where she was one of the first journalists to provide detailed insights into the Covishield and Covaxin trials. She has a dedicated interest in gender diversity in health and science, often profiling women researchers who are breaking the "leaky pipeline" in STEM fields. Her writing style is scrupulous, often featuring interviews with top-tier scientists and health experts from various institutions. ... Read More

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