Improving flow cytometry blood testing for early leukemia detection in Kenya
Official title: Adapting flow cytometry methods for early detection of acute hematologic malignancies in Kenya including the improvement of sample flow processes and technical training of personnel
Funded at Indiana University Indianapolis · NIH-11129887 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A simpler, less invasive blood test to find leukemia in children and young adults in Kenya.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Indiana University Indianapolis NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Indianapolis, United States) |
| Project start | July 2, 2024 |
| Project end | June 30, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $230,146 |
| NIH project number | 5R01CA278862-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11129887 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Children and young adults in Kenya with symptoms or clinical suspicion of leukemia or lymphoma, especially those who cannot easily travel for bone marrow testing.
✕Less likely to help
Patients whose cancers do not shed detectable cells into peripheral blood or who need full bone marrow phenotyping for diagnosis may not benefit from the blood screen.
What this research studies
This project aims to change a multi-tube bone marrow test into a single-tube blood screen so more children can be tested without a painful marrow procedure. The team will compare results from blood and bone marrow to make sure the new screen catches the same problems. They will also improve how samples are collected and sent, and train lab staff in Kenya to run the tests reliably. If the blood screen works well, only a few patients would need extra testing with the existing methods.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could make leukemia diagnosis faster, cheaper, and less invasive so more children get diagnosed and treated earlier.
How similar studies have gone: Flow cytometry is a proven method for leukemia diagnosis in higher-resource centers, but using a single-tube peripheral blood screen in this setting is a newer adaptation with limited prior data.
Where this research is happening
-
Indiana University Indianapolis
Indianapolis, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Vik, Terry a — Indiana University Indianapolis
- Study coordinator: Vik, Terry a
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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.