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New Treatment Targets 'Junk DNA' in Blood Cancers

9/26/2025

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Summary

Story summary

Researchers at King’s College London identify a new strategy for treating blood cancers by targeting "junk DNA."
The approach targets myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) with ASXL1 and EZH2 mutations.
Mutations disrupt cell growth, enabling transposable elements (TEs) to become active and reveal vulnerabilities, which PARP inhibitors can exploit by blocking DNA repair.

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Story summary

Researchers at King’s College London identify a new strategy for treating blood cancers by targeting "junk DNA."
The approach targets myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) with ASXL1 and EZH2 mutations.
Mutations disrupt cell growth, enabling transposable elements (TEs) to become active and reveal vulnerabilities, which PARP inhibitors can exploit by blocking DNA repair.