Compositions and Methods for Treating Cancers

This technology includes the combination therapy of tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) and tigecycline as a potential new treatment for acute myeloid leukemia (AML). The existing treatments available for AML are not adequate; for patients older than 60, the prognosis is poor, with a two-year survival probability of less than 10%. Tigecycline is a glycylcycline antibiotic that induces cell death via inhibition of mitochondrial protein synthesis. Research in cell lines shows that the following group of TKIs exhibited the synergistic effect with tigecycline for killing AML cells: Erlotinib (EGFR inhibitor), Bosutinib (BCR-Abl, MOR inhibitor), Dasatinib (BCR-Abl, Src inhibitor), Sunitinib (Multiple RTK inhibitor) and Vandetinib (EGFR, VEGFR inhibitor).