New research may have identified an experimental agent that targets chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and perhaps other proliferative disorders of lymphocytes. This study using tumor cells from patients shows that the small-molecule inhibitor CAL-101 directly promotes cell death in CLL cells and disrupts several external survival pathways needed for CLL cell viability and proliferation. The findings provide a rationale for developing CAL-101 as the first in a new class of CLL targeted therapies.