Methotrexate as a JAK/STAT inhibitor in myeloproliferative neoplasms 1
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Methotrexate as a JAK/STAT inhibitor in myeloproliferative neoplasms: Does methotrexate inhibit JAK/STAT signalling in cells from patients with myeloproloferative neoplasms in-vitro
IRAS ID
163658
Contact name
Sally J Thomas
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Sheffield Teaching Hospitals
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 7 months, 31 days
Research summary
Blood cells made in the bone marrow receive ‘signals’ from the body to tell them what to do. For example these ‘signals’ tell the bone marrow to make white blood cells to fight infection, or to make red blood cells after bleeding. In blood cancers, leukaemia and lymphoma, these signals are permanently ‘switched on’ meaning the body makes lots of blood cells that it doesn’t need. In one group of blood cancers, called myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs) the ‘signal’ that is ‘switched on’ is called JAK/STAT signalling. MPNs can be treated with modern drugs that ‘switch off’ JAK/STAT signalling, although these are very expensive and have side effects. This research is being done to find out whether an older, cheaper and potentially safer drug, methotrexate, is similarly effective in ‘switching off’ JAK/STAT signalling.
We know that methotrexate can ‘switch off’ JAK/STAT signalling in special types of blood cells grown in the laboratory, but we need to know more about what it does to blood cells from real patients. We wish to use ‘waste’ blood cells that were taken from patients with MPNs for a bone-marrow transplant, that are no longer needed. We will grow these cells in dishes in the laboratory (‘in-vitro’) and test the effect of methotrexate upon them. The study is funded by Cancer Research UK and Yorkshire Cancer Research and will be carried out in the Department of Haematology at the Royal Hallamshire Hospital in Sheffield and at the Department of Biomedical Science at the University of Sheffield.REC name
North West - Greater Manchester South Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
14/NW/1524
Date of REC Opinion
24 Dec 2014
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion