MS-553 shows promise in treating chronic lymphocytic leukaemia

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Published: 15 Jan 2026
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Prof Jennifer Woyach - The Ohio State University, Columbus, USA

Prof Jennifer Woyach speaks to ecancer about a clinical trial evaluating the drug MS-553 (a selective PKCβ inhibitor) for patients with relapsed or refractory chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) or small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL).

This study shows that MS-553 can be a promising agent in treating chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL).

In this study researchers utilised genetically engineered CLL cells and mouse models to assess the drug's effectiveness.

She says that preliminary results from this phase one clinical trial indicate its potential, leading to plans for further clinical trials.

We had a recent publication in Blood Cancer Discovery which was looking at a novel agent called MS553 which is a potent and selective inhibitor of protein kinase C-beta in CLL. In this publication, which was using both primary CLL cells, cell lines that we had genetically engineered to express different types of resistance mutations that we see in CLL, and then in a mouse study as well, we showed that MS553 has the potential to be a very active drug in CLL. It is active in patient samples and in models of CLL cells that have been exposed to BTK inhibitors and BCL-2 inhibitors. So we’re very excited about the potential for this agent in CLL. A phase I clinical trial has been completed and preliminary data has been previously presented, suggesting that it is an effective drug and this drug is currently moving forward into other clinical trials.