Medical Design and Outsourcing

  • Home
  • Medical Device Business
    • Mergers & Acquisitions
    • Financial
    • Regulatory
  • Applications
    • Cardiovascular
    • Devices
    • Imaging
    • Implantables
    • Medical Equipment
    • Orthopedic
    • Surgical
  • Technologies
    • Supplies and Components Index
    • Contract Manufacturing
    • Components
    • Electronics
    • Extrusions
    • Materials
    • Motion Control
    • Prototyping
    • Pumps
    • Tubing
  • MedTech Resources
    • Medtech Events in 2025
    • The 2024 Medtech Big 100
    • Medical Device Handbook
    • MedTech 100 Index
    • Subscribe to Print Magazine
    • DeviceTalks
    • Digital Editions
    • eBooks
    • Manufacturer Search
    • Podcasts
    • Print Subscription
    • Webinars / Digital Events
    • Whitepapers
    • Voices
    • Video
  • 2025 Leadership
    • 2024 Winners
    • 2023 Winners
    • 2022 Winners
    • 2021 Winners
  • Women in Medtech
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe

Simple Blood Test May Improve Treatment for Biggest Leukemia Killer

January 22, 2016 By National Institute for Health Research

A simple blood test capable of detecting trace levels of leukemia cells remaining after intensive chemotherapy has been developed by scientists at the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Biomedical Research Centre at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust and King’s College London. The research was co-funded by the NIHR Programme Grants for Applied Research Programme and the blood cancer charity Bloodwise. The study was conducted within the National Cancer Research Institute (NCRI) AML17 clinical trial, which treated patients from across the UK, Denmark and New Zealand. 

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is diagnosed in around 2,400 people each year in the UK. Although survival rates are extremely poor overall, outlook for younger patients able to tolerate intensive treatment is better, with over half of patients under 40 years old surviving for at least five years. 

In research published online in the New England Journal of Medicine, scientists used a ‘minimal residual disease’ (MRD) test to predict relapse. The patients all had AML driven by faults in the NPM1 gene – which is the most common genetic sub-type of the disease and accounts for a third of all cases. 

The best chance of a cure involves chemotherapy and, in the case of high risk patients, a stem cell transplant. While intensive treatment is normally successful in sending the cancer into remission, relapse is very common. Patients usually only undergo a stem cell transplant after chemotherapy if they are judged to be at high-risk of relapse and are fit enough. 

The researchers found that MRD testing was far superior at predicting relapse compared to current methods, which mainly rely on analysis of genetic abnormalities within individual patients’ cancer cells that influence whether they are ‘high risk’ or ‘low risk’ at the start of treatment. All samples analyzed using MRD testing were from patients determined to be at ‘standard risk’ of relapse using existing testing. 

Life Sciences Minister George Freeman MP said: 

“This ground-breaking study has the potential to have a major impact on the treatment for patients suffering this devastating condition. It is studies such as this which highlight the importance of the government’s commitment to health research and collaboration with research charities. These exciting developments are being made possible thanks to our investment of more than £1 billion a year through the National Institute for Health Research.” 

Professor David Grimwade, Principal Investigator at the NIHR BRC at Guy’s and St Thomas’ and King’s College London who led the research, said: 

“Conventional methods for guiding treatment for this aggressive type of leukemia are inadequate. The MRD test is an invaluable tool to assess treatment response and identify those patients for whom chemotherapy is not sufficient and require stem cell transplantation or new treatments.” 

Alasdair Rankin, Director of Research at Bloodwise, said: 

“Treatment for acute myeloid leukemia is highly toxic and survival rates are desperately poor, particularly for older patients. Preemptive treatment to prevent relapse in those most at risk would reduce the levels of toxic treatment needed and improve its chances of success.”

Related Articles Read More >

A photo of nitinol, a nickel-titanium alloy used for medical devices such as stents, heart valves, catheters and orthopedics.
What is nitinol and where is it used?
An image of Abbott's Infinity deep brain stimulation (DBS) implants and leads.
How Abbott developed the first-of-its-kind Infinity DBS system
Axoft Fleuron brain-computer interface BCI probe
Axoft makes Fleuron BCI material available for purchase, inks license deal with Stanford
An illustration showing the Edwards Lifesciences Sapien M3 transcatheter mitral valve replacement (TMVR) system's valve being placed in the heart. [Image courtesy of Edwards Lifesciences]
The top nitinol cardiac medtech news of 2025 (so far)
“mdo
EXPAND YOUR KNOWLEDGE AND STAY CONNECTED
Get the latest medical device business news, application and technology trends.

DeviceTalks Weekly

See More >

MDO Digital Edition

Digital Edition

Subscribe to Medical Design & Outsourcing. Bookmark, share and interact with the leading medical design engineering magazine today.

MEDTECH 100 INDEX

Medtech 100 logo
Market Summary > Current Price
The MedTech 100 is a financial index calculated using the BIG100 companies covered in Medical Design and Outsourcing.
DeviceTalks

DeviceTalks is a conversation among medical technology leaders. It's events, podcasts, webinars and one-on-one exchanges of ideas & insights.

DeviceTalks

New MedTech Resource

Medical Tubing

MassDevice

Mass Device

The Medical Device Business Journal. MassDevice is the leading medical device news business journal telling the stories of the devices that save lives.

Visit Website
MDO ad
Medical Design and Outsourcing
  • MassDevice
  • DeviceTalks
  • MedTech100 Index
  • Medical Tubing + Extrusion
  • Medical Design Sourcing
  • Drug Delivery Business News
  • Drug Discovery & Development
  • Pharmaceutical Processing World
  • R&D World
  • About Us/Contact
  • Advertise With Us
  • Subscribe to Print Magazine
  • Subscribe to our E-Newsletter
  • Listen to our Weekly Podcasts
  • Join our DeviceTalks Tuesdays Discussion

Copyright © 2025 WTWH Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of WTWH Media LLC. Site Map | Privacy Policy | RSS

Search Medical Design & Outsourcing

  • Home
  • Medical Device Business
    • Mergers & Acquisitions
    • Financial
    • Regulatory
  • Applications
    • Cardiovascular
    • Devices
    • Imaging
    • Implantables
    • Medical Equipment
    • Orthopedic
    • Surgical
  • Technologies
    • Supplies and Components Index
    • Contract Manufacturing
    • Components
    • Electronics
    • Extrusions
    • Materials
    • Motion Control
    • Prototyping
    • Pumps
    • Tubing
  • MedTech Resources
    • Medtech Events in 2025
    • The 2024 Medtech Big 100
    • Medical Device Handbook
    • MedTech 100 Index
    • Subscribe to Print Magazine
    • DeviceTalks
    • Digital Editions
    • eBooks
    • Manufacturer Search
    • Podcasts
    • Print Subscription
    • Webinars / Digital Events
    • Whitepapers
    • Voices
    • Video
  • 2025 Leadership
    • 2024 Winners
    • 2023 Winners
    • 2022 Winners
    • 2021 Winners
  • Women in Medtech
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe