By restoring two small molecules that are often lost in chronic lymphocytic leukemia, researchers were able to block tumor growth in an animal model.

The study also uses human CLL cells to show that the two molecules, called miR-15a and miR-16-1, affect 70 genes, most of which are involved in cell growth, death, proliferation and metabolism.

This reveals how the molecules normally protect against cancer and suggests a possible new CLL treatment strategy.