NEW YORK – A 21-institution consortium led by Medizinische Hochschule Hannover (MHH) aims to establish optimal therapies for acute myeloid leukemia and chronic lymphocytic leukemia through an €8 million ($8.7 million) research project.
The German medical school said on Tuesday that the RESOLVE research network will study whether measurable residual disease measurements in leukemia patients can serve as a binding guideline for individual treatment recommendations. The team is examining the use of flow cytometry to detect leukemia cells and assess a patient's risk of relapse following successful cancer treatment.
The study results could be used to inform the use of more intensive therapies such as stem cell transplants. Shortening or forgoing those treatments in some patients could improve their quality of life and reduce treatment costs.
"If we confirm MRD as a treatment-guiding biomarker, it can be used to guide the treatment of AML and CLL across Europe in the future," Michael Heuser, the lead research on the project and professor and senior consultant at MHH, said in a statement.
The project is funded by the European Union through its EU Mission on Cancer. Of the €8 million in funding, €2.2 million will go to MHH.