Amit Verma, MD

TGF beta receptor inhibition as a therapeutic strategy in Myelodysplastia

Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) are pre-leukemic conditions that lead to decreases in blood counts in the elderly and do not have many treatment options. Dr. Verma has determined that a protein, Transforming Growth Factor-beta (TGF), is partly responsible for suppressing the growth of stem cells in MDS and that the blockade of its receptor can stimulate growth of red and white cell colonies. Thus, he proposes to study the factors regulating the suppressive effects of TGF in MDS and evaluate the effectiveness of a novel drug inhibitor of the TGF receptor, LY 2157299, in MDS