Therapeutic targeting of the IL4R pathway in T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia
Vandewalle Alies, 2025
T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) is a rare but aggressive blood cancer that affects both children and adults. While advances in current treatment regimens have significantly improved survival rates in pediatric patients, outcomes for adults remain poor, largely due to treatment-related toxicities and lower tolerance to intensive therapy. Patients who fail to respond to initial treatment or who experience relapse face a particularly poor prognosis, with limited therapeutic options available. This underscores the need for more targeted approaches tailored for specific patients. This thesis investigates the IL-4 signaling pathway, which is active in specific T-ALL subtypes and may drive disease progression. Uniquely, this pathway can be targeted using Dupilumab, a drug already approved for other diseases. The re-purposing of existing medication could shorten the time needed to bring new treatments to patients, bypassing many of the financial and regulatory barriers associated with traditional drug development. By identifying IL-4 as a potential therapeutic target and exploring its role in preclinical models, this research contributes to the growing field of precision medicine. It aims to offer a new personalized treatment strategy for high-risk patients, reduce reliance on toxic chemotherapy, and ultimately improve survival and quality of life for people with T-ALL. to translate these findings into clinical practice, targeting the IL-4 pathway holds promise as a personalized treatment strategy.
| Promotor | Maaike Van Trimpont |
| Opleiding | Biomedische Wetenschappen |
| Domein | Cancer |
| Kernwoorden | T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia, IL-4 pathway |