Advances in Blood Cancer Therapy to be Highlighted at American Society of Hematology Conference

    WHITE PLAINS, N.Y., Dec. 5 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Researchers
 funded by The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society will present exciting new
 directions in blood cancer research at the annual American Society of
 Hematology (ASH) conference this week at the Georgia World Congress Center
 in Atlanta. Especially noteworthy are new findings in immunotherapies,
 personalized medicine and targeting transcription factors.
 
     Immunotherapies: Researchers will discuss the current status of anti-
 cancer vaccines for patients with B-cell lymphoma; results of early
 clinical trials on adoptive T-cell immunotherapies for B-cell malignancies;
 new understanding of how immune cells known as natural killer (NK) cells
 can eliminate cancer cells; and the emerging role of NK cells in stem cell
 transplantation.
 
 

     -- Vaccines for Lymphomas: Idiotype Vaccines and Beyond, Larry Kwak, M.D.,
        Ph.D., The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston,
        (Saturday, Dec. 8, 9:30 a.m.).
     -- Engineering Antitumor Immunity by T-cell Adoptive Immunotherapy,
        Stanley Riddell, M.D., Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center,
        Seattle, WA, (Dec. 8, 9:30 a.m.).
     -- Human Natural Killer Cell Biology, Michael Caligiuri, M.D., The Ohio
        State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, Columbus, (Sunday,
        Dec. 9, 7:30 a.m.).
     -- The Role of Natural Killer Cells in Haploidentical Hematopoietic
        Transplantation, Andrea Velardi, M.D., University of Perugia, Italy,
        (Dec. 9, 7:30 a.m.).
 
     Targeting transcription factors: Transcription factors are proteins
 that control gene expression. Abnormalities in transcription factor
 activity are among the most common causes of myeloid and lymphocytic
 leukemias and are good targets for new drug development.
 
 

     -- Targeting RUNX1 in Leukemia, John H. Bushweller, Ph.D., University of
        Virginia, Charlottesville; Targeting MLL Fusion Genes in Leukemia,
        Michael Thirman, M.D., University of Chicago. (Same session: Dec. 8,
        2 p.m., and Dec. 9, 7:30 a.m.).
     Personalized medicine: Society-funded researchers are developing new
 tests to distinguish biological traits (biomarkers) in cancers to identify
 patients who are most likely to benefit from a particular treatment and
 enable doctors to personalize treatment.
 
 

     -- Deoxycytidine Kinase Genotype Includes Leukemia Cell Concentration of
        Cytarabine 5-Triphosphate in Pediatric AML Patients, Varsha Gandhi,
        Ph.D., M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, (Monday, Dec. 10, 8 a.m.).
     -- Comprehensive Biomarker and Genomic Analysis Identifies p53 Status as
        Major Determinant of Response to MDM2 Inhibitors in Chronic Lymphocytic
        Leukemia, Shaomeng Wang, Ph.D., University of Michigan, (Dec. 10, 7:45
        a.m.).
     -- IgVH Mutational Status Does Not Affect Complete Remission Rate But Is
        Associated with Reduced Remission Duration in CLL Patients Treated with
        Fludarabine, Cyclophosphamide and Rituximab (FCR)-based Therapy, Thomas
        Kipps, M.D., Ph.D., University of California, San Diego, (Tuesday,
        Dec. 11, 8 a.m.).
     Prior to the start of ASH, the Society will host this year's Marshall
 A. Lichtman Research Symposium, Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia as a Model of
 Translational Research, on Friday, Dec. 7, 7 a.m., at the Omni Hotel at CNN
 Center in Atlanta. The program will feature several Society-funded
 researchers discussing all aspects of CLL, from causes to novel treatments.
 
     About The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
 
     The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, headquartered in White Plains, NY,
 with 68 chapters in the United States and Canada, is the world's largest
 voluntary health organization dedicated to funding blood cancer research
 and providing education and patient services. The Society's mission: Cure
 leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease and myeloma, and improve the quality
 of life of patients and their families. Since its founding in 1949, the
 Society has invested more than $550 million in research specifically
 targeting leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma. Last year alone, the Society made
 5.1 million contacts with patients, caregivers and healthcare
 professionals.
 
     For more information about blood cancer, visit www.LLS.org or call the
 Society's Information Resource Center (IRC), a call center staffed by
 master's level social workers, nurses and health educators who provide
 information, support and resources to patients and their families and
 caregivers. IRC information specialists are available at (800) 955-4572.
 
     Contact: Andrea Greif
 
 

              (914)821-8958, andrea.greif@lls.org
 
 
 

SOURCE The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society