Tait D. Shanafelt, MD

Interrupting Survival Signals in Early Stage CLL: A Maneuver to Prevent Progression

Chronic Lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is the most common sub-type of leukemia in the U.S. and is presently an incurable disease. Building on his preclinical and clinical observations, Dr. Shanafelt has opened a clinical trial of green tea extract in capsule form for patients with early stage CLL and has observed signs of clinical activity. Despite this activity, evidence suggests that the bone marrow nurtures leukemia cells and makes them less vulnerable to this treatment. With this grant, Dr. Shanafelt will determine the mechanism by which bone marrow nurtures CLL leukemia cells and identify how to combine green tea extracts with other treatments to over come stromal mediated protection to enhance the efficacy of this therapy for patients with CLL.