Light The Night research update

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society recently came out in support of the FDA approval of Ibrutinib for patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). The drug works by targeting an enzyme that promotes the growth of certain types of cancers, including CLL and mantle cell lymphoma (MCL; also approved for treatment with Ibrutinib).

The reason that this is a victory for LLS is that LLS funded clinical trials and other studies of Ibrutinib’s usefulness in treating MCL, CLL, and a variety of other lymphomas. Research teams led by John Byrd at Ohio State, Johnathan Friedberg at University of Rochester, Peter Martin at Weill Cornell Medical College, and Jennifer Brown at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute have all received support from LLS to research Ibrutinib. Dr. Byrd credits the LLS funding for making the FDA approval possible.

Thanks to your help, over the past two years, Foundation Beyond Belief’s Light The Night Team has raised over $600,000 for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. This money has been spent on patient support and funding research on new cancer therapies, like Ibrutinib.