The major interests of the group are the regulation of purine metabolism and the pharmacologic and therapeutic effects of selected purine nucleoside analogues used in the treatment of B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (B-CLL).

The current investigations aim at understanding the mechanisms of progressive chemoresistance of lymphoid malignancies to 2-chloro-2’-deoxyadenosine (CdA), an adenosine deaminase resistant analogue of deoxyadenosine.

Research topics:

1. Study of deoxycytidine kinase, a key enzyme for the conversion of CdA in its active form
2. Interference of CdA with the cell cycle of EHEB cells, a continuous cell line derived from a patient with B-CLL.
3. Interaction(s) of CdA with the MAPK pathways
4. Development of standard chimiogrammes intended at improving the efficacy of antileukemic treatment according to individual parameters of patients. Lymphocytes are treated in vitro with various drugs including CdA.
5. Use of pronucleotides as a strategy to bypass the limiting step in the bioactivation of nucleoside analogues
6. Gene expression response in CLL B-lymphocytes after treatment with CdA