CLL samples were derived from patients with heterogeneous clinical and molecular prognostic markers, including patients with aggressive disease (Binet B and C) or with unfavorable prognostic markers (i.e. unmutated IGHV, high CD38 levels, 17p deletion and TP53 or SF3B1 mutations) (Supplementary Table S1). This evidence concerns the gene CD38 and B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia.