The proposed project will use single cell based high-throughput methods (CYTOF, spectral flow cytometry) to characterize a rare b-cell population, defined by upregulated expression of ROR1 receptor, and will describe its connection to chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) development. According to our preliminary data, this previously undescribed b-cell population can be found in the blood of most of the analyzed healthy donors and is enriched with age. We have developed methods which enable its separation and analysis. The data obtained so far show that the population is heterogeneous and may contain a subset of cells with typical CLL-like characteristics. The goal of this project is to achieve more thorough description of these b-cell populations in healthy donors and in the premalignant state of monoclonal B lymphocytosis (MBL), elucidation of their role in normal b-cell maturation and validation of the hypothesis that these cells represent the missing step in MBL/CLL development.

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