BCRES-CLL | B cell receptor engagement and signalling in chronic lymphocytic leukemia: identify the structural and functional requirements for disease development and progression.

Summary
B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), the most prevalent leukemia among adult Caucasians, is a disease characterized by the clonal expansion of B lymphocytes expressing CD5. The B-cell receptor (BCR) plays a critical role in CLL development and progression as indicated by the efficacy of drugs blocking BCR signaling. However, the mechanism(s) underneath BCR responsiveness are not well-defined and CLL remains incurable. In the classical view, an interaction between BCR and extrinsic antigen is responsible for such signalling. The discovery that CLL BCRs can self-associate and signal in the absence of extrinsic antigens (intrinsic binding) highlighted a novel mechanism for BCR engagement and signalling. Growing amount of evidences suggest that both extrinsic and intrinsic engagement are required for leukemia development and progression.

Herein, we aim to better define the selectiveness of the two BCR engagement mechanisms and their association with specific biological and clinical characteristics. To better define such elusive associations, machine learning algorithms will be developed and used to define the specific links among the biological data.

Specifically, we will i) assess BCR engagement features associated with CLL clinical aggressiveness and responsiveness to stimuli; ii) identify normal B cells expressing CLL-like BCRs and evaluate their engagement features and similarity with CLL B cells; iii) identify genes and genetic pathways distinctly associated with either mechanism of BCR engagement and/or CLL aggressiveness.

The successful outcome of this proposal would generate biologically and clinically relevant information for prevention, prognosis and therapy of CLL.
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More information & hyperlinks
Web resources: https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101023721
Start date: 31-03-2022
End date: 30-03-2024
Total budget - Public funding: 183 473,28 Euro - 183 473,00 Euro
Cordis data

Original description

B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), the most prevalent leukemia among adult Caucasians, is a disease characterized by the clonal expansion of B lymphocytes expressing CD5. The B-cell receptor (BCR) plays a critical role in CLL development and progression as indicated by the efficacy of drugs blocking BCR signaling. However, the mechanism(s) underneath BCR responsiveness are not well-defined and CLL remains incurable. In the classical view, an interaction between BCR and extrinsic antigen is responsible for such signalling. The discovery that CLL BCRs can self-associate and signal in the absence of extrinsic antigens (intrinsic binding) highlighted a novel mechanism for BCR engagement and signalling. Growing amount of evidences suggest that both extrinsic and intrinsic engagement are required for leukemia development and progression.

Herein, we aim to better define the selectiveness of the two BCR engagement mechanisms and their association with specific biological and clinical characteristics. To better define such elusive associations, machine learning algorithms will be developed and used to define the specific links among the biological data.

Specifically, we will i) assess BCR engagement features associated with CLL clinical aggressiveness and responsiveness to stimuli; ii) identify normal B cells expressing CLL-like BCRs and evaluate their engagement features and similarity with CLL B cells; iii) identify genes and genetic pathways distinctly associated with either mechanism of BCR engagement and/or CLL aggressiveness.

The successful outcome of this proposal would generate biologically and clinically relevant information for prevention, prognosis and therapy of CLL.

Status

CLOSED

Call topic

MSCA-IF-2020

Update Date

28-04-2024
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Horizon 2020
H2020-EU.1. EXCELLENT SCIENCE
H2020-EU.1.3. EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
H2020-EU.1.3.2. Nurturing excellence by means of cross-border and cross-sector mobility
H2020-MSCA-IF-2020
MSCA-IF-2020 Individual Fellowships