Ohio State hematologists are building on innovations in CLL treatment to continue to break new ground in the treatment of a form of leukemia that affects thousands of Americans each year. CLL, or chronic lymphocytic leukemia, affects patients’ bone marrow and makes up approximately one-third of new leukemia cases in the U.S. It occurs when too many white blood cells are created in the marrow. Thanks to research breakthroughs — including those at Ohio State — successful CLL therapies are saving the lives of many patients through newly developed target treatments, in addition to chemotherapy, radiation and surgery. “CLL is actually extremely treatable,” says Jennifer Woyach, MD. “We've had the development of a number of targeted therapies for the disease at The James at Ohio State.” While doctors are currently administering these treatments in central Ohio and around the country, OSUCCC – James researchers are working to continue to bring new therapies to CLL patients at Ohio State. “We're testing new signaling inhibitors, and we're testing new immune stimulatory drugs in the hopes of finding the next big breakthrough for CLL,” Woyach says.