Follicular lymphoma (FL) is the second most frequent subtype of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, a cancer of the immune system. Although the disease is typically incurable, many cases progress slowly and do not require immediate treatment. However, FL has an unpredictable clinical course, and a significant proportion of patients eventually develop aggressive, treatment-resistant disease. This uncertainty—and the potential for transformation into a more rapidly fatal lymphoma—represents a major unmet clinical need and a profound source of anxiety for patients and clinicians alike.

To meet this challenge, researchers must first gain a deeper understanding of the biological mechanisms driving the disease. This will enable clinicians to navigate the heterogeneity and complexity of FL, in order to make more informed, individualized treatment decisions.

With this aim, an international alliance of world-leading experts is joining forces to bring new hope to patients. The ERADICATE Follicular Lymphoma consortium, led by Dr. Ari Melnick, Director of the Josep Carreras Leukaemia Research Institute, aims to fast-track breakthroughs against this disease. The team will use cutting-edge technologies and expertise, including artificial intelligence, therapeutic modelling, experimental therapeutics and immunology, to develop innovative diagnostic tools and treatment strategies.

This $6.5 million, five-year initiative is supported by Blood Cancer United®, the single largest non-profit funder of blood cancer research , and by the Institute for Follicular Lymphoma Innovation (IFLI) through the Research Accelerator for Follicular Lymphoma (RAFL) Synergistic Team Award (STA).

Accelerating treatments through global collaboration

International and interdisciplinary collaboration will be key to tackling a disease as complex as FL. “This global alliance lets us move from insight to intervention with unprecedented speed,” says Dr. Ari Melnick, Josep Carreras Institute and ERADICATE STA Director, adding: “by tightly connecting discovery science, predictive diagnostics, and translational testing, we will accelerate translation of new diagnostic and therapeutic strategies with potential transformative impact for follicular lymphoma patients.”

The ERADICATE alliance unites world-class teams across Spain and the United States, including the Josep Carreras Leukaemia Research Institute, the Broad Institute, Weill Cornell Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. Together, these partners will integrate cutting-edge functional genomics, single-cell and spatial technologies, multi-modal AI, and clinically guided validation to deliver new diagnostic strategies and therapeutic avenues for patients with follicular lymphoma.

This international collaboration will enable researchers to identify high-risk biology early and match patients with follicular lymphoma to the right interventions; prioritize druggable targets through robust preclinical models and functional screens; and advance biomarker-guided strategies toward future trials and real-world adoption.

The four synergistic research projects within ERADICATE are led by Ari Melnick, MD (Josep Carreras Institute), with Wendy Beguelin, PhD (NYU); Fei Chen, PhD (Broad Institute); Todd Golub, MD (Broad Institute) with Vignesh Shanmugam, MD/PhD (Brigham and Women’s Hospital); and Michael Green, PhD (MD Anderson Cancer Center). Collectively, they will map disease heterogeneity, define mechanisms of treatment resistance and transformation, and prioritize next-step strategies for clinical translation.

Two scientific hubs will anchor the program:

• Multidimensional Technology, Biomarker and Translational Hub, led by Fei Chen, PhD (Broad Institute) with Giorgio Inghirami, MD, PhD (Weill Cornell Medicine), to uncover actionable biomarkers and validate targets using advanced single-cell, spatial, and perturbation platforms.

• Multi-Modal Causal AI Hub, led by Caroline Uhler, PhD (Broad Institute) with Christopher E. Mason, PhD (Weill Cornell Medicine), to integrate molecular, imaging, and clinical data and generate predictive models that guide precision decisions.

Appointed Director of the Josep Carreras Leukaemia Research Institute in April 2025, Dr. Ari Melnick, an internationally recognized expert in hematological cancer research, now spearheads this international alliance against follicular lymphoma. His leadership reinforces the Institute’s role as a key global player in blood cancer research and its unwavering commitment to improving the lives of patients and their families.