Researchers Funded by The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Present Innovative Science at AACR Annual Meeting 2013

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y., April 4, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) is the world's largest voluntary health agency funding many of today's breakthroughs in blood cancer treatments, including advances in targeted therapies, immunotherapies and epigenetics.

Many LLS-funded researchers will be presenting results of some of their latest work at the 104^th AACR Annual Meeting 2013, taking place at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington. D.C., April 6-10, 2013.

"LLS focuses on funding research to address urgent unmet medical needs, and many of the findings being presented this week at the AACR Annual Meeting 2013 were advanced with LLS support," said LLS Senior Vice President of Research Richard C. Winneker, Ph.D.

Select LLS-funded researcher presentations include:

• New targets in blood cancers:  Ross Levine, M.D., Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center is presenting "Molecular basis for sensitivity and resistance to JAK inhibitors (April 6, 8:50 a.m. in Room 207).  John Byrd, M.D., The OhioState University is co-chairing a session entitled "Targeting Lymphoid Malignancies: Working From the Outside In."  Byrd's presentation is "Kinase-based therapies work; How do we bring them forward and manage resistance?" (April 10, 11 a.m., Room 143).
  
  
• Subclonal cancer architecture: Catherine Wu, M.D., Dana-Farber Cancer Center, is presenting an educational program "The evolution and impact of subclonal mutations in chronic lymphocytic leukemia. (April 6, 11:15 a.m., in Ballroom C).  Dr. Wu's work will also be featured during a special session on innovative research, with a presentation entitled "Coupled genetic and functional dissection of chronic lymphocytic leukemia" (April 7, 2:45 p.m., Room 201).
  
  Adolfo Ferrando, M.D., Columbia University Medical Center, and Marcus Muschen, M.D., University of California, San Francisco, are also presenting during this special session. Ferrando's presentation is "Targeting genetic and metabolic networks in T-acute lymphoblastic leukemia (April 7, 1:45 p.m., Room 201). Muschen's presentation is "Targeting BCL6 in acute lymphoblastic leukemia" (April 7, 2:15 p.m., Room 201).
  
  Epigenetic targets for cancer: Anjana Rao, Ph.D, Harvard, will present during a plenary session with a program entitled "TET proteins and altered DNA methylation in cancer," (April 8, 8:30 a.m., Hall D), and James Bradner, M.D., Dana-Farber, will present "Bromodomain inhibition in cancer" during this same session (April 8, 9 a.m., Hall D).  Guido Marcucci, M.D., The Ohio State University, is presenting during another session on epigenetics called "Epigenetic Regulators in Hematology: From Stem Cells to Malignancies." His talk is entitled: "MicroRNAs and epigenetics: Novel gene silencing mechanisms and therapeutic approaches in acute myeloid leukemia" (April 6, 11:35 a.m., Room 147). Scott Armstrong, M.D., Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, is chairing a major symposium entitled "Mutations in Epigenetic Regulators in Cancer" and presenting a program entitled "Targeting histone methylation in cancer (April 7, 1 p.m., Room 146).
  
  Ari Melnick, M.D., Weill Cornell Medical Center, is chairing and presenting during another session called "The Genetic and Epigenetic Landscape of AML Revealed." Melnick's program is entitled "Aberrant epigenetic programming as a hallmark of AML (April 8, 1:25 p.m., Room 147). In this same session, Timothy Graubert, M.D., Washington University, is presenting "The Genomic Landscape of MDS and AML" (April 8, 1 PM, Room 147)
  
  
• Genetically engineered immune cells: Carl June, M.D., University of Pennsylvania, is presenting "CARs for cancer: Can we move beyond CLL?" (April 10, 11:50 a.m., Room 147).  June is also the invited speaker at a special regulatory science and policy session on April 7 at 1 p.m., Room 150 entitled: "Harnessing the immune system to treat cancer: personalized and targeted T-cell therapy." 

For more information about this work, or to arrange interviews with LLS experts, please contact Andrea Greif at 914.821.8958, or [email protected].

About The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society ^® (LLS) is the world's largest voluntary health agency dedicated to blood cancer. The LLS mission: Cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families. LLS funds lifesaving blood cancer research around the world and provides free information and support services.  Founded in 1949 and headquartered in White Plains, NY, LLS has chapters throughout the United States and Canada. To learn more, visit www.LLS.org or contact the Information Resource Center at (800) 955-4572, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET. 

Contact: Andrea Greif
914.821.8958
[email protected]

SOURCE The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society