Alessandra Ferrajoli

Alessandra Ferrajoli, MD is Professor in the Department of Leukemia at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, where she has developed a distinguished career spanning over 25 years in CLL clinical research with a particular focus on elderly and unfit patient populations, novel immunomodulatory approaches, and early-phase clinical investigation. Dr. Ferrajoli has been a pioneer in exploring lenalidomide — an immunomodulatory agent — in CLL, conducting foundational phase II studies demonstrating lenalidomide's single-agent activity and its ability to modulate the CLL immune microenvironment through NK cell activation, T-cell stimulation, and reduction of immunosuppressive cytokines. She led studies establishing lenalidomide activity in del(17p) and fludarabine-refractory CLL, and investigated combinations of lenalidomide with rituximab in the relapsed setting. Dr. Ferrajoli has been a central investigator in MD Anderson's CLL program for patients with comorbidities and advanced age, conducting trials of reduced-intensity regimens, novel agent combinations, and supportive care strategies addressing hypogammaglobulinemia, infection risk, and quality of life in this vulnerable population. She has also been an early-phase investigator for multiple novel CLL agents at MD Anderson, contributing to the initial clinical characterization of BTK inhibitors and other targeted agents. A respected educator and clinician with over 250 publications, she has mentored numerous trainees who have become leaders in the CLL field.