Devising a Novel Combination Treatment for Aggressive Double-hit Lymphoma

Assistant Professor of Immunotherapy in Oncology, Yulin Li, MD, PhD, received CPRIT funding to investigate the therapeutic efficacy of a new combination therapy for treating the aggressive double-hit lymphoma, or DHL cancer.

DHL simultaneously activates multiple cancer-causing oncogenes, making it very difficult to treat with frontline chemotherapy. While inactivating oncogenes with targeted therapy effectively kills tumor cells, this effect is limited by relapse and treatment resistance. In contrast, immunotherapies can provide a long-term survival benefit but are less effective with DHL because of reduced expression of the common anticancer immunotherapy, CD20. Li believes that combining the treatment approaches in a targeted therapy that suppresses oncogenes together with anti-CD20 immunotherapy holds great promise.

If successful, this approach may lead to a new paradigm of coupling targeted suppression of multiple oncogenes with simultaneous engagement of the immune system. ”

– Yulin Li, MD, PhD

Assistant Professor of Immunotherapy in Oncology

Houston Methodist