Chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) is caused when two chromosomes swap a region of their DNA, causing a mistake in the genetic information. As a result, white blood cells replicate continuously, growing out of control. Bone marrow transplants work well for a small number of eligible patients, others get interferon, which has a low rate of success.

A New Drug That Targets Cancer Cells

ST1571 is a new drug that kills CML cells but does not hurt the healthy blood cells - this targeted action has led to the "smart bomb" moniker. Developed by Dr. Brian Druker (Oregon Health Sciences University) and drug company called Novartis, ST1571 works by deactivating the effect of growth signals on the ability of the cancer cells to grow. Scientists are testing this drug on other cancers that might grow out of control for the same reasons as in CML, that is have the same kind of "molecular glitches". As researchers continue to figure out the inner workings of different kinds of cancer cells, designer drugs will become more and more prevalent to treat each kind of cancer.