Possible treatment for anaemia in myelodysplastic neoplasms (MDS)

Uwe Platzbecker. Photo: Stefan Straube / UKL In patients affected by myelodysplastic neoplasms (MDS), the body does not produce enough functional blood cells. Patients suffer from anaemia - a lack of red blood cells and haemoglobin - which can progress to acute leukaemia. Imetelstat, a new agent beyond the current standard of care, may help to avoid blood transfusions, which can be a burden for MDS patients, especially over a long period of time. This effect was demonstrated in a clinical trial at 118 sites in 17 countries led by Professor Uwe Platzbecker from Leipzig University and the University of Leipzig Medical Center, in collaboration with a large international research team. The results have been published in the prestigious journal "The Lancet". Patients with myelodysplastic neoplasms (MDS) suffer from a disruption in the healthy maturation of blood cells in their bone marrow.