Introduction

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), the most common adult B-cell malignancy in Western countries. It is characterized by the accumulation of monoclonal CD5+ B cells with a characteristic immunophenotype in peripheral blood, bone marrow, and lymphoid tissues. The clinical course of the disease is extremely heterogeneous and, as a result, the individual life-expectancy ranges from a few years to a virtually normal lifespan. Despite the important progress in its therapy, CLL is still considered an incurable disease.

Our Research

Our group is constantly making hard efforts to gain further insights into the characteristics of the leukemic compartment and deepen on the impact of the tumour microenvironment. This knowledge can contribute to better understand the biologic events involved in the disease development and be used to develop new strategies for clinical management and therapy and eventually to improve the quality of life of patients with CLL.

Our group has been involved in several pivotal clinical trials that led to the approval of new drugs for CLL therapy. Also, we are involved in several projects focused on the characterization of residual leukemic cells, autoimmunity and mechanisms at work in BCR signaling.

Our Goals

Our group is constantly making hard efforts to gain further insights into the characteristics of the leukemic compartment and deepen on the impact of the tumour microenvironment. This knowledge can contribute to better understand the biologic events involved in the disease development and be used to develop new strategies for clinical management and therapy and eventually to improve the quality of life of patients with CLL. Through our research, we aim to:

1. Make available better diagnosis, prognosis and therapeutical strategies in CLL.

2. Extend the knowledge of molecular and cellular events implicated in CLL development.

3. Prevent clinical relapses in CLL.

4. Design feasible approaches to monitor MRD in CLL.

5. Find a cure to CLL patients.

Our Challenges

Inherent to the disease, CLL patients have a deregulated immune system, which predispose them to have disease complications, including recurrent infections and autoimmune phenomena. The understanding of how the immune cells of tumor microenvironment contribute to maintain the survival of leukemic cells is essential to design future therapeutic strategies aimed, not only at eradicating leukemic cells, but also at restoring the immune system.

In the last years our group has started some projects aimed at describing the immune status and functional characteristics of B and T cell populations during the evolution of the disease and after therapy with targeted therapies.