Researchers at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine and Fox Chase Cancer Center are advancing a promising new clinical trial to improve treatment for myelofibrosis, a rare and difficult-to-treat blood cancer.
Led by Peter Abdelmessieh, DO, MSc, Assistant Professor in the Department of Bone Marrow Transplant and Cellular Therapies, and Tomasz Skorski, MD, PhD, DSc, Director of the Fels Cancer Institute for Personalized Medicine at Katz, the study combines a standard JAK inhibitor with a PARP inhibitor, a class of drug more commonly used in breast and ovarian cancers.
Early Phase 1 results have been encouraging, with the first two enrolled patients experiencing major reductions in disease severity and spleen size within just a few months of treatment. The trial reflects Katz’s and Fox Chase’s shared strengths in translational research and precision medicine, moving laboratory discoveries toward more effective therapies for patients facing myelofibrosis.