ESH CLL 2022 | The role of macrophage signals and CXCR4 in the growth of CLL cells

I will be presenting an overview on the role of signals from macrophages and from the chemokine receptor CXCR4, in promoting the growth and survival of chronic lymphocytic leukemia cells. And I will also describe some recent studies from a laboratory in which we investigated the importance of these signals in in-vivo models of chronic lymphocytic leukemia and Richter’s syndrome that were recently developed. And these models allow us to selectively inactivate various intercellular pathways that transmit signals from the micro-environment. This is done using a technique called CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing, and then investigate how destruction of these pathways will affect the growth of the leukemic cells in vivo. And the main message of my presentation is that both signals from macrophages and from the CXCR4 receptor, provide a growth advantage to the leukemic cells, and as such could represent potential therapeutic targets in chronic lymphocytic leukemia and Richter’s syndrome.