Technologies

A biomarker for chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL)

UConn researchers have developed an assay based on quantitative binding of a Src Homology 2 (SH2) domain probe to proteins in blood samples from patients with CLL that predicts progression-free survival for those patients. This biomarker takes into account the tyrosine phosphorylation state, an important biological property in B-cell signaling that is likely to influence the disease course and response to tyrosine kinase inhibitor treatment. Biomarkers based on tyrosine phosphorylation state (SH2 profiling) are likely to be more accurate than current tests because they assess the global state of signaling that drives the tumor, as opposed to monitoring a single gene, protein, or mutation as in current markers.