Summary
Published in Biomedicines (2025), this peer-reviewed study used 3D Petri Dish® micro-molds to form scaffold-free 3D microtissues. Full citation: Gdesz-Birula, Katarzyna, et al. Sonidegib Inhibits the Adhesion of Acute Myeloid Leukemia to the Bone Marrow in Hypoxia: An Optical Tweezer Study
Sonidegib Inhibits the Adhesion of Acute Myeloid Leukemia to the Bone Marrow in Hypoxia: An Optical Tweezer Study
Research Overview
Acute myeloid leukemia resists chemotherapy in part because leukemia stem cells go dormant inside the protective bone marrow niche, where stromal cells promote pro-survival signaling and drug resistance. Weakening the adhesion between leukemia cells and marrow cells could therefore have therapeutic value.
This study hypothesized that sonidegib, a Hedgehog pathway inhibitor, could block that adhesion. The Hedgehog pathway is a key therapeutic target in acute myeloid leukemia because of its role in leukemic cell growth and niche interaction.
Key Discoveries
- Sonidegib tested for its ability to disrupt leukemia cell adhesion to bone marrow stroma
- Targets Hedgehog signaling, a driver of leukemic growth and niche protection
- Aims to strip leukemia stem cells of the marrow niche that shields them from chemotherapy
