Lab-on-a-chip predicts which cancer treatments may work for pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia
More than 120,000 people in the U.S. are living with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), and 6,000 new cases are diagnosed each year. Of those, more than 3,500 will be in children. Responsible for 75% of all pediatric leukemia diagnoses, ALL is a rapid-onset blood cancer, preventing the body from producing mature, infection-fighting white blood cells, sometimes within a matter of months.
Researchers at Emory University, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, and Georgia Tech have developed a novel lab-on-a-chip technology called GradientScreen. This microfluidic assay can rapidly predict how pediatric patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia will respond to different drug combinations. Affecting 75% of pediatric leukemia cases, ALL is a rapidly progressing blood cancer that requires immediate treatment, but clinicians currently have no way to predict which drug combinations will be most effective for individual patients.
GradientScreen addresses this gap by quickly measuring the survival of leukemia cells exposed to three-drug combinations, using a single blood or bone marrow sample. By complementing genomic data with direct measurements of drug sensitivity, the assay provides valuable information to guide personalized treatment decisions. In a study of 17 ALL patients, GradientScreen's response patterns correlated with actual treatment outcomes, including residual disease and relapse rates.
The researchers hope that this technology will help identify harder-to-treat patients earlier and match them with more effective, alternative treatments.
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