How does understanding normal blood cell development lead to breakthrough cancer therapies? This Biology Tangent episode explores the science behind menin inhibitors - therapies that act across age groups, lineages, and genetic subtypes by targeting shared developmental circuitry. We examine why both KMT2A-rearranged and NPM1-mutated leukaemias depend on this unexpected vulnerability, and how disrupting a single protein can unlock differentiation across multiple cancer types. From chromatin regulation to differentiation syndrome, we trace the biological logic that makes this approach so compelling. Beyond the elegant science, it’s a story about uncovering common ground between seemingly distinct cancers with implications reaching well beyond haematology. Menin is a case study in why long-term investment in fundamental biology matters: decades spent unravelling HOX genes and chromatin complexes have enabled oral, outpatient therapy for leukaemias once considered untreatable. A story for clinicians, researchers, and anyone curious about the bridge between mechanism and medicine.

Episode type: Biology Tangent