LeukoPredict · LeukoPredict: an in vitro system predicting and monitoring the therapeutic response of patients in the cure of Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML).

Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia (CML) is a blood cancer that affects every year more that 12000 patients in Europe and in the USA. Most CML cases are caused by Bcr-Abl, an abnormally active protein that confers tumorigenic capability to blood cells. The introduction of Imatinib, a Bcr-Abl potent inhibitor, revolutionized CML therapy, transforming this life-threatening cancer into a controllable disease. Approximately 30% of patients, however, display resistance to Imatinib and develop aggressive blood cancer. Here we propose a diagnostic kit (LeukoPredict) aimed to recognize resistant patients before the beginning of Imatinib therapy and address them to a personalized therapeutic alternative. Moreover, this test will be able to monitor the occurrence of newly acquired resistance after therapy initiation, allowing clinicians to prescribe only those drugs that demonstrate maximal efficacy. In the long run, we expect that LeukoPredict will become the gold standard to rationally define the CML therapeutic course, improve the survival of patients and limit the costs sustained by the healthcare system.