2022 Grantee Spotlight: Dr. Clive Zent from The University of Rochester

The Hairy Cell Leukemia Foundation is currently funding 10 exciting studies in hairy cell leukemia.

The studies are being conducted at some of the world’s best cancer centers and include research in chemotherapy-free HCL treatment, opportunities for CAR-T cell therapy in hairy cell leukemia, and genome sequencing to better differentiate between and diagnose HCL and its variants.

We’re thrilled to highlight these important studies, and the individual investigators leading them.

Today, we’re highlighting Dr. Clive Zent from the University of Rochester James P. Wilmot Cancer Institute.

Dr. Clive Zent received his medical degree from the University of Witwatersrand in South Africa. He completed his post-doctoral training at Coronation Hospital and Groote Schuur Hospital, both in South Africa, a fellowship in Hematology at the University of Chicago Medical Center, and a residency in Internal Medicine at University of Arkansas College of Medicine.

While training in Hematology at the University of Chicago, Dr. Zent studied the molecular genetics of hematological malignancies in the laboratory of Dr. Janet Rowley. In 2003, he joined the staff of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester MN. And in 2013, he was appointed to the faculty of the Wilmot Cancer Center at the University of Rochester Medical Center as Professor of Medicine and director of the Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia program.

Dr. Zent is a frequent contributor to research and publications in hairy cell leukemia. He was a co-author on Development of a distributed international patient data registry for hairy cell leukemia, published September 7th, 2022 in Leukemia & Lymphoma.

He was also a co-author on Patient-driven research: Initial results from a prospective health–related quality of life study performed at the request of patients living with hairy cell leukemia, published in September 2022 in Leukemia Research.

Dr. Zent is a 2021/2022 HCL grantee, funded by the Hairy Cell Leukemia Foundation in partnership with the SASS Foundation for Medical Research. Through this funding, Dr. Zent is studying the splenic tumor immune microenvironments of classic hairy cell leukemia, HCL variant and splenic diffuse red pulp small B-cell lymphoma (SDRPL). His team aims to find subtle but discrete characteristics that can help investigators and practitioners distinguish between and better diagnose these diseases. Improved, more accurate diagnosis is necessary for doctors to best treat a patient’s HCL.

Dr. Clive Zent is affiliated with the University of Rochester Medical Center James P. Wilmot Cancer Center.

The University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) is one of the most prominent academic medical centers in the U.S. The University’s James P. Wilmot Cancer Center is home to the nation’s leading program aimed at helping cancer patients cope with the side effects of cancer treatment. Research at the university laid out the groundwork for the radiation treatment of human cancers, which is now used in more than 80 percent of cancer cases.

You can read more about HCLF-funded research in hairy cell leukemia through our our website.

Anna Lambertson