Dr. Farrukh Awan Explains Syk Inhibitor in CLL

Farrukh Awan, MBBS, assistant professor of internal medicine, Ohio State University, discusses the role for spleen tyrosine kinase (Syk) inhibitor for the treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL).

Therapy for CLL patients that have failed kinase inhibitors is not very well defined. There is a great need for an agent for patients that have relapsed after either PI3 kinase or bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitors, says Awan.

Syk inhibitor, a compound that is located upstream of BTK and is part of the B-cell receptor signaling pathway, may be a promising option for relapsed patients.

Early results have shown that it is active and well-tolerated in CLL. Syk inhibitor has the potential to maintain quality of life and provide decease control for patients who rapidly progress after failing kinase inhibitors, says Awan.