Finding treatments that overcome drug resistance in Richter's syndrome
Functional identification of drug response and resistance in Richter's Syndrome
This project tests drugs on living tumor samples from people with Richter's syndrome to find medicines or combinations that help the cancer cells die.
Quick facts
| Grant type | P01 program project |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Dana-Farber Cancer Inst NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boston, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11179168 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
Researchers will collect viable tumor samples from patients with Richter's syndrome and use functional precision-medicine methods to see which drugs or drug combinations kill those cells. They will perform BH3 profiling to measure how close cells are to programmed cell death and run ex vivo drug screens to identify active compounds. The team will prioritize the most promising combinations to guide early-phase clinical trials. Work is based at Dana-Farber with samples from collaborating centers.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are people diagnosed with Richter's syndrome or patients with CLL that has transformed to an aggressive lymphoma who can provide tumor samples or enroll in follow-up trials.
Not a fit: Patients without Richter's syndrome (for example, CLL patients without transformation) or those unable to provide samples or attend participating centers are unlikely to benefit directly from this project.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could identify effective drugs or combinations that move quickly into early trials and offer new treatment options for Richter's syndrome patients.
How similar studies have performed: Similar functional drug-screening approaches and BH3 profiling have shown promise in other blood cancers, but applying them specifically to Richter's syndrome is relatively new.
Where this research is happening
Boston, United States
- Dana-Farber Cancer Inst — Boston, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Letai, Anthony G — Dana-Farber Cancer Inst
- Study coordinator: Letai, Anthony G
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.