Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40097584›Full record

ArticleScientific reports2025

The first-in-Africa ex vivo drug sensitivity testing platform identifies novel drug combinations for South African leukaemia patient cohort.

V L Kenmogne, M M Takundwa, E E Nweke, B Monchusi, P Dube, H Maher, J Du Toit, V Philip-Cherian, P N Fru, D B Thimiri Govinda Raj

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Scientific reports, 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. Article
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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

10 authors.

V L Kenmogne *Department of Surgery, School of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2193, South Africa.
M M Takundwa *Synthetic Nanobiotechnology and Biomachines, Synthetic Biology and Precision Medicine Centre, Future Production Chemicals Cluster, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, Pretoria, South Africa.
E E NwekeDepartment of Surgery, School of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2193, South Africa.
B Monchusi *Synthetic Nanobiotechnology and Biomachines, Synthetic Biology and Precision Medicine Centre, Future Production Chemicals Cluster, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, Pretoria, South Africa.
P Dube *Synthetic Nanobiotechnology and Biomachines, Synthetic Biology and Precision Medicine Centre, Future Production Chemicals Cluster, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, Pretoria, South Africa.
H MaherWits Donald Gordon Medical Centre, Johannesburg, South Africa.
J Du ToitWits Donald Gordon Medical Centre, Johannesburg, South Africa.
V Philip-CherianDepartment of Haematology, Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital, Johannesburg, South Africa.
P N FruDepartment of Surgery, School of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2193, South Africa.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3631-1893
D B Thimiri Govinda RajDepartment of Surgery, School of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2193, South Africa. dgovindaraj@csir.co.za.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

In South Africa, leukemia remains a major health concern, posing significant challenges in treatment due to its varied subtypes. There is an unmet need for a testing pipeline that can identify drug effects on patient samples in an ex-vivo setting. Using the pilot study with South African patient samples, this paper reports the development of a drug-sensitivity testing pipeline for studying the drug effects in leukemia patient-derived cells. Forty-one (41) patients with Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) (n = 7), Chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) (n = 30), and Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) (n = 4) were recruited for this study. Thirty (30) FDA-approved drugs were utilized for single drug sensitivity screening (DSS) on leukemia patient-derived cells with drug concentrations (1-1000 nM). The single DSS showed a distinct sensitivity pattern with different profiles among patients of the same subtype, confirming the need for precision therapy. This study observed irinotecan, used in solid tumour treatment, demonstrated efficacy in PBMCs in many patient samples compared to conventional leukemia drugs such as nilotinib. For drug combination studies, ten clinically relevant drugs were selected and tested based on the results of single drug sensitivity tests. This pilot study marks a crucial stride towards revolutionizing leukemia treatment in South Africa through an innovative ex vivo drug sensitivity testing platform. This pioneering initiative forms the basis for tailored and effective treatment options holding promise for more personalized treatment. Further exploration and validation of these findings could significantly contribute to cancer precision medicine efforts in South Africa.

Indexed as

Antineoplastic AgentsAntineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy ProtocolsLeukemiaLeukemia, Lymphocytic, Chronic, B-CellLeukemia, Myelogenous, Chronic, BCR-ABL PositiveLeukemia, Myeloid, AcuteAdultAgedCohort StudiesDrug Screening Assays, AntitumorFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedPilot ProjectsSouth AfricaAntineoplastic AgentsDrug sensitivity testFull matrix combinationLeukemiaSynergy

Identifiers

PMID40097584
PMCPMC11914478

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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.