Some patients with certain non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas develop resistance to Bruton tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitors, which are among the most effective and commonly used drugs for treating the disease.

“[M]ost patients who respond to these drugs relapse after maybe one or two years of treatment. That’s a big issue,” says Lixin Rui, PhD, associate professor, Hematology, Medical Oncology and Palliative Care.

Recently, Dr. Rui and his research team at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health (UW SMPH) traced resistance development back to a specific gene, ERG1. The discovery is detailed in a study in the journal Blood. 

The study also indicates that a promising new treatment regimen may be on the horizon.

Read the full story from the UW SMPH.

Banner: Dr. Rui in the lab. Credit: Clint Thayer/Department of Medicine.