# Understanding and predicting relapse in acute myeloid leukemia

> **NIH NIH R01** · FRED HUTCHINSON CANCER CENTER · 2020 · $53,002

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
Relapse remains the major obstacle to cure in leukemia. Why do some patients relapse, while others are cured?
The ability to predict response, and intervene with alternative therapies before frank relapse occurs, can
potentially optimize therapy, and potentially change the natural history of a particular patient’s disease. We will
use AML as a model disease to demonstrate the power of the detection of measurable residual disease (MRD)
and gene expression signatures in predicting treatment response. For these studies we will use archival and
prospective samples from U.S. Intergroup studies so that we can accurately associate genetic changes with
clinical characteristics and outcomes. In Aim 1 we will develop and test a new sequencing method, duplex
sequencing, which can detect a mutation at a frequency of one mutant allele in a background of a million wild
type alleles. In Aim 2, we will test three gene expression signatures head to head in predicting short and long-
term treatment response, and discover pathways different in the response groups that may be future targets of
drug therapy. In Aim 3, we will apply the above genetic tests to the allogeneic transplant setting, to predict
relapse following non-myeloablative transplantation (and hence, direct abortive therapy). Our lab has had
considerable success in using similar tools in CML and ALL, and indeed, MRD detection in these diseases have
evolved to a surrogate for outcome in clinical trials. We likewise believe that in AML these aims will eventually
allow us to predict outcome prior to therapy, pick therapies based on likely pathways responsible for the predicted
unfavorable response, then monitor MRD, changing therapy early if the kinetics of MRD clearance are
suboptimal.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10603063
- **Project number:** 6R01CA175008-09
- **Recipient organization:** FRED HUTCHINSON CANCER CENTER
- **Principal Investigator:** Jerald Patrick Radich
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $53,002
- **Award type:** 6
- **Project period:** 2013-07-01 → 2024-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10603063

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10603063, Understanding and predicting relapse in acute myeloid leukemia (6R01CA175008-09). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10603063. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*