New research by the Stanford University School of Medicine scientists gives children suffering from a particularly deadly form of leukemia the chance to a treatment that might prolong their lives after all. To be more specific, they discovered that glycogen synthase kinase 3 (GSK), a sugar-regulating enzyme that was thought to protect against cancer actually promotes “mixed lineage” leukemia (MLL).

MLL is a particularly dangerous form of the disease that can start in either the lymph nodes or bone marrow. MLL accounts for 5 percent to 10 percent of child and adult leukemias and more than three quarters of infant leukemias.

Lab tests showed that drugs that blocked GSK 3 helped mice with MLL live far longer than untreated mice. The mice were given MLL lithium, a drug used to treat bipolar disease in humans.

“This finding was quite unexpected. GSK3 has never been implicated in promoting cancer,” study senior author Dr. Michael Cleary, a professor of pathology and of pediatrics said.

His study is the first to draw such a conclusion. Previous studies actually found that GSK3 stops uncontrolled cell growth, preventing several forms of cancer. Therefore, Dr. Cleary called his findings on GSK3 “paradoxical and unexpected.”

The finding is a breakthrough in treating MLL since MLL patients don’t typically respond well to chemotherapy like in the case of other forms of leukemias. One thing the researchers need to do now. “I think where we need to go in the future is to come up with better inhibitors that can be administered long-term,” Dr. Cleary said.

The study was published in the Sept. 17 issue of the journal Nature.