The article identifies biomarkers associated with AML subtypes that respond particularly well to DCPS inhibition and sheds light on the underlying mechanisms of action. The results show that AML cases with DNMT3a and FLT3 ITD mutations and low levels of the related protein FHIT are particularly sensitive to DCPS inhibition. This facilitates patient selection and thereby increases the likelihood of positive treatment outcomes. Previous observations have shown that DCPS inhibitors have minimal impact on healthy cells and normal blood formation, with no signs of adverse effects.

"The potential for patient stratification combined with the favourable safety profile strengthens our conviction that DCPS inhibitors could become an effective and safe treatment option for AML," says Martin Andersson, CSO at Sprint Bioscience.
 
AML is a difficult-to-treat form of blood cancer in which current standard therapies—primarily chemotherapy—carry severe side effects and offer limited efficacy. Relapse is also common, underscoring the need for safer and more effective treatments.

The article is a collaboration between Sprint Bioscience AB, the research groups of Dr. Julian Walfridsson and Dr. Hong Qian at Karolinska Institutet, NeoTargets AB, and BioReperia AB. The Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research has partially funded it through an industrial PhD fellowship.” 

The article in Leukemia is available to read here: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41375-025-02661-z