Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39796762›Full record

ArticleCancers2025

A Novel In Vitro Model of the Bone Marrow Microenvironment in Acute Myeloid Leukemia Identifies CD44 and Focal Adhesion Kinase as Therapeutic Targets to Reverse Cell Adhesion-Mediated Drug Resistance.

Eleni E Ladikou, Kim Sharp, Fabio A Simoes, John R Jones, Thomas Burley, Lauren Stott, Aimilia Vareli, Emma Kennedy, Sophie Vause, Timothy Chevassut and 8 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Cancers, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Article
  3. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

18 authors.

Eleni E LadikouDepartment of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Brighton and Sussex Medical School, Falmer, Brighton BN1 9PX, UK.ORCID 0000-0003-3021-3851
Kim SharpDepartment of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Brighton and Sussex Medical School, Falmer, Brighton BN1 9PX, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-3243-7050
Fabio A SimoesDepartment of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Brighton and Sussex Medical School, Falmer, Brighton BN1 9PX, UK.ORCID 0000-0001-7630-0091
John R JonesDepartment of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Brighton and Sussex Medical School, Falmer, Brighton BN1 9PX, UK.
Thomas BurleyDepartment of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Brighton and Sussex Medical School, Falmer, Brighton BN1 9PX, UK.
Lauren StottDepartment of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Brighton and Sussex Medical School, Falmer, Brighton BN1 9PX, UK.ORCID 0009-0005-9400-6642
Aimilia VareliDepartment of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Brighton and Sussex Medical School, Falmer, Brighton BN1 9PX, UK.ORCID 0000-0001-7272-8007
Emma KennedyDepartment of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Brighton and Sussex Medical School, Falmer, Brighton BN1 9PX, UK.
Sophie VauseDepartment of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Brighton and Sussex Medical School, Falmer, Brighton BN1 9PX, UK.
Timothy ChevassutDepartment of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Brighton and Sussex Medical School, Falmer, Brighton BN1 9PX, UK.
Amarpreet DeviDepartment of Haematology, Brighton and Sussex University Hospital Trust, Brighton BN2 5BE, UK.
Iona AshworthDepartment of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Brighton and Sussex Medical School, Falmer, Brighton BN1 9PX, UK.
David M RossDepartment of Haematology, Flinders Medical Centre, College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University, Adelaide, SA 5042, Australia.ORCID 0000-0001-7171-2935
Tanja Nicole HartmannDepartment of Medicine I, Medical Center-University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, 79085 Freiburg, Germany.ORCID 0000-0002-0377-7179
Simon A MitchellDepartment of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Brighton and Sussex Medical School, Falmer, Brighton BN1 9PX, UK.ORCID 0000-0003-1091-6349
Chris J PepperDepartment of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Brighton and Sussex Medical School, Falmer, Brighton BN1 9PX, UK.ORCID 0000-0003-3603-8839
Giles BestDepartment of Haematology, Flinders Medical Centre, College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University, Adelaide, SA 5042, Australia.ORCID 0000-0003-2685-3880
Andrea G S PepperDepartment of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Brighton and Sussex Medical School, Falmer, Brighton BN1 9PX, UK.ORCID 0000-0001-9795-1280

Funding

Sussex Cancer Fund P9-Ladikou-AML
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

BACKGROUND/

objectivesAcute myeloid leukemia (AML) is an aggressive neoplasm. Although most patients respond to induction therapy, they commonly relapse due to recurrent disease in the bone marrow microenvironment (BMME). So, the disruption of the BMME, releasing tumor cells into the peripheral circulation, has therapeutic potential.

methodsUsing both primary donor AML cells and cell lines, we developed an in vitro co-culture model of the AML BMME. We used this model to identify the most effective agent(s) to block AML cell adherence and reverse adhesion-mediated treatment resistance.

resultsWe identified that anti-CD44 treatment significantly increased the efficacy of cytarabine. However, some AML cells remained adhered, and transcriptional analysis identified focal adhesion kinase (FAK) signaling as a contributing factor; the adhered cells showed elevated FAK phosphorylation that was reduced by the FAK inhibitor, defactinib. Importantly, we demonstrated that anti-CD44 and defactinib were highly synergistic at diminishing the adhesion of the most primitive CD34

conclusionsTaken together, we identified anti-CD44 and defactinib as a promising therapeutic combination to release AML cells from the chemoprotective AML BMME. As anti-CD44 is already available as a recombinant humanized monoclonal antibody, the combination of this agent with defactinib could be rapidly tested in AML clinical trials.

Indexed as

acute myeloid leukemia (AML)adhesionbone marrow microenvironmentCAM-DRCD44FAK

Identifiers

PMID39796762
PMCPMC11719579

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.