Charting pathogenic trajectories for aggressive B cell lymphomas

Leandro Venturutti
Assistant Professor
Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
University of British Columbia
British Columbia Cancer Research Institute

This conference is hosted by Javier M. Di Noia, PhD. This conference is part of the 2024-2025 IRCM conference calendar.

Summary of the presentation:
Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), the most common lymphoid cancer in adults, encompasses a group of heterogeneous diseases derived from mature B cells. Although DLBCLs frequently initiate from, and localize to, the lymph nodes, a third of patients present with tumours in non-lymphoid organs, including in immune-privileged sites. These tumours respond poorly to frontline therapy and show elevated relapse rates, leading to often-fatal outcomes. To worsen the situation, there is currently no way to identify their onset at early stages, where they may be more susceptible to targeted therapies. Leveraging BC Cancer’s patient-derived tissue Biobank, and sophisticated preclinical models, we recently identified a traceable prospective lymphoma precursor population, and its actionable dependencies. These findings may represent a milestone in the pursuit of earlier diagnosis, patient stratification, and prophylactic interventions for these tumours.

Biography:
Dr. Leandro Venturutti obtained his BSc in Biotechnology from the University of Quilmes, and his PhD in Biological Chemistry from the University of Buenos Aires (Argentina). During his PhD, he explored mechanisms of resistance to targeted therapies and of metastatic dissemination in breast and gastric tumors. Dr Venturutti completed his training working as a postdoctoral fellow at the Division of Hematology and Oncology (Weill Cornell Medicine), where he investigated how recurrent mutations in aggressive B-cell lymphomas alter the epigenome and contribute to the early stages of malignant transformation. Dr Venturutti was recruited to the BC Cancer Research Institute in 2021, to start his own research group. His goals are to identify and understand the mechanisms driving the progression and dissemination of B-cell lymphomas, as a means to develop diagnostic tools, and novel prophylactic and curative treatments. His group exploits high-parameter technologies to study clinical specimens and develops sophisticated models to tackle profound biological questions with translational potential. Dr. Venturutti is a Michael Smith Health Research BC Scholar, and his work is funded by the BC Cancer Foundation, CIHR, Canadian Cancer Society, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (US/Canada), Department of Defense (US), and Lupus Research Alliance (US).

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