Identification of the Molecular Targets of MLL Translocation-Based Childhood Leukemia

The focus of this application is on a group of proteins (MLL1 and AFF4), which are involved in the pathogenesis of childhood leukemia. We plan to characterize the biochemical, molecular and enzymatic properties of these factors from patient samples suffering from leukemia with the hope of generating small molecule inhibitors that can be used for targeted therapeutics of MLL translocation-based leukemia in children eliminating some of the devastating side effects of current therapies.