From mice to men: How B cell immunology helped the understanding of Leukemia development

The work on normal B lymphocytes, immunoglobulins, and antigenic stimulation performed at the Basel institute in the early '90s, also by Anton G. Rolink, shaped and molded the way B cell lymphomas and in particular Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL) are interpreted today. Words like Immunoglobulin rearrangements, somatic mutations, and B Cell Receptors, which 25 years ago were of interest only to basic immunologists like Ton, became common and trivial (if ever possible) terms also in hematological and clinical gatherings. Nowadays immunologists are in fact regularly invited to such meetings as key-note speakers to explain the basic functionality of the immune system, which has direct implications on the daily clinical practice.