Personalized tumor targets to help the immune system fight CLL
Official title: Personal tumor neoantigens for immunity against chronic lymphocytic leukemia
Funded at Dana-Farber Cancer Inst · NIH-11285204 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Researchers are developing personalized tumor markers to help the immune systems of people with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) recognize and attack their cancer.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Dana-Farber Cancer Inst NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boston, United States) |
| Project start | June 1, 2011 |
| Project end | January 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $759,203 |
| NIH project number | 5R01CA155010-15 |
| Project ID | NIH-11285204 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are people diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia who can provide tumor or blood samples and are willing to take part in personalized immunotherapy research and follow-up visits.
✕Less likely to help
Patients whose tumors lack identifiable neoantigens, who cannot provide necessary samples, or who are too frail for immune-based interventions may not receive benefit from this approach.
What this research studies
From your perspective, doctors would sequence your leukemia cells and normal cells to find unique tumor changes, then use new lab tests to confirm which of those changes appear on the cancer cell surface. The team aims to identify so-called neoantigens even in CLL, which usually has few mutations, by looking at the genome and RNA and validating peptide-MHC interactions. Those validated targets could be used to design personalized immune approaches such as vaccines or cell therapies tailored to your tumor. The work is being done at Dana-Farber and is meant to open new treatment options for people with CLL.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could lead to personalized vaccines or immune therapies that help the body recognize and control CLL, potentially improving remission and long-term disease control.
How similar studies have gone: Neoantigen-targeting approaches have shown promising results in high-mutation cancers like melanoma and glioblastoma, but applying them to low-mutation cancers such as CLL is still experimental.
Where this research is happening
-
Dana-Farber Cancer Inst
Boston, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Wu, Catherine Ju-Ying — Dana-Farber Cancer Inst
- Study coordinator: Wu, Catherine Ju-Ying
Related research
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A Stanford-led study aims to use a new class of small molecules to flip cancer-driving signals so CLL cells die, offering hope for patients who have exhausted other therapies.
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A cancer-related study looks at how METTL3 helps a common leukemia (CLL) grow and resist treatment, with the goal of finding better therapies.
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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.