Researchers from the Institute for Health Research and Innovation (i3S) of the University of Porto identified a new therapeutic strategy that can improve the effectiveness of chemotherapy and reduce serious complications associated with the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia.
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24/06/2026
by
Lusa
O this study was published in the scientific publication Science Translation Medicine and, in a statement, i3S reveals that it hopes to advance, in the near future, with a clinical trial in collaboration with the early phase trials unit of the portuguese institute of oncology (IPO) of Porto, in order to evaluate the use of transferrin as adjuvant therapy to chemotherapy.
For now, researchers have proved “that the administration of transferrin, a protein that carries iron through the bloodstream, together with chemotherapy, improves bone marrow recovery, increases survival and reduces infectious complications associated with conventional therapy,” the institute explains.
Acute myeloid leukaemia is mostly treated with intensive chemotherapy and, “despite effectively eliminating cancer cells, causes high toxicity, such as excessive accumulation of iron in tissues“, explains Delfim Duarte, hematologist of the IPO Port and leader of the research group i3S Hematopoiesis and Microenvironments.
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In this study, researchers tested the administration of human apotransferrin, a form of iron-free transferrin, “to capture this excess mineral and redistribute it to healthy bone marrow and immune system cells”.
“ Using several experimental models, including mice with leukemia, the team has shown that this approach significantly reduces circulating toxic iron levels after chemotherapy,” notes the Porto Institute.
The team also studied the safety of this strategy in the context of severe infection, “one of the leading causes of death in patients with acute myeloid leukaemia”.
“ In an experimental model of ‘E. coli’ infection, animals treated with apotransferrin survived longer,” says i3S.
This happens “not because bacteria have been eliminated, but because of a more controlled inflammatory response”, since apotransferrin “rinduced excessive inflammation, helping the body to cope better with infection“, explains Marta Lopes, the first author of the study, quoted in the statement of the institute.
As for the clinical trial that i3S has in mind, Delfim Duarte indicates that the objective is to “preliminarily evaluate the safety and efficacy of this combination [transferrin and chemotherapy] in patients with acute myeloid leukaemia”.