Why chronic myeloid leukemia sometimes resists treatment and how to improve TKI care
Official title: Understanding critical transitions in chronic myeloid leukemia to improve tyrosine kinase inhibitor therapy
Funded at University of California-Irvine · NIH-11306059 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at why some people with chronic myeloid leukemia respond differently to tyrosine kinase inhibitor drugs and aims to help more patients get deeper, longer-lasting remissions.
Quick facts
| Grant type | P01 program project |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of California-Irvine NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Irvine, United States) |
| Project start | April 1, 2025 |
| Project end | March 31, 2030 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $514,990 |
| NIH project number | 5P01CA288662-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11306059 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates would include people newly diagnosed with CML or those starting or on TKI therapy who can provide clinical data and blood or bone marrow samples.
✕Less likely to help
People without CML or those with unrelated health conditions would not be relevant for this project and would not benefit directly.
What this research studies
From a patient's perspective, researchers will combine information from blood and bone marrow samples, clinical records, and laboratory experiments to find the biological changes that mark when CML shifts toward resistance or remission. They will use systems biology tools and computer models to map those critical transitions and to identify early warning signs during the first year of treatment. The team plans to study why about 10–15% of patients fail standard TKI therapy and what allows some patients to stop therapy without relapsing. Findings could guide tests or new treatment strategies to help more people reach stable, treatment-free remission.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could help doctors predict who will not respond to TKIs, guide earlier alternative treatments, and enable more patients to safely stop therapy and remain in remission.
How similar studies have gone: TKIs have already transformed CML care and some clinical trials have shown a portion of patients can achieve treatment-free remission, but using systems biology to predict and increase that number is a newer and evolving approach.
Where this research is happening
-
University of California-Irvine
Irvine, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Van Etten, Richard a. — University of California-Irvine
- Study coordinator: Van Etten, Richard 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.