[Dasatinib. A novel tyrosine kinase inhibitor for the treatment of chronic myeloid leukaemia]

Abstract

Chronic myeloid leukaemia is characterized by an abnormal tyrosin kinase in the cytoplasm of the clonal cells. The enzyme is derived from a fusion gene on the Philadelphia-chromosome, evolved by a translocation between chromosomes 9 and 22. Understanding the biology of the tyrosin kinase led to targeted therapy, inhibiting the ATP-binding site by a small molecule--imatinib (Glivec). A novel 2nd generation tyrosin kinase inhibitor--dasatinib (Sprycel)--is now available in cases of insufficient response or intolerance to imatinib.