What is Interferon?

Interferon is a group of natural products the body makes in response to viral infections in an effort to attack the virus. Several interferon types have been developed as drugs to treat a variety of disorders when was discovered the natural interferon could be synthesized and used to attack other growing cells. At the Weill Cornell Medicine Richard T. Silver Myeloproliferative Neoplasms Center and other institutions began to use it as a treatment for chronic myeloid leukemia, but we were the first to use it as a treatment for polycythemia vera as a way to stop early manufacturing of too many red blood cells. Interferon is now a successful treatment option for other MPNs, especially when used early as it is able to control blood counts as well as reduce clotting risk. The FDA has not yet approved this use but is used off-label both in the United States and Europe as an effective therapy. Interferons are thought to act on normal blood cells and MPN cells differently, but it is not known exactly how interferon works in these diseases. The Silver MPN Center is actively studying and participating in clinical trials in order to determine more concrete data behind why interferon is so effective in MPN treatment.

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