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SPECIAL DATA
ABOUT VITAMIN D ABOUT THE SHINGLES VACCINE

CLINICIAN SCIENTISTS
LYMPHOMA FOUNDATION GRANT RECIPIENTS

LACHER FELLOWS CONFERENCES

Members of the Board and Friends

MISSION STATEMENT OF THE LYMPHOMA FOUNDATION
The Lymphoma Foundation is dedicated to the discovery of innovative and practical medical therapy by encouraging and supporting creative clinical and basic research scientists in their quest to find the cure for all lymphomas and cancer in general

LYMPHOMA FOUNDATION NEWS

RECENT EVENTS - The 14th ANNUAL BRIAN ROONEY RUN/WALK in Central Park, NYC was held on Saturday, May 21, 2011.

THE LACHER FELLOWS LYMPHOMA/ HEMATOLOGY/ RADIATION ONCOLOGY RESEARCH CONFERENCE of the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) was held on Friday morning, May 20, 2011, in the Zuckerman Research Building

THE SECOND ANNUAL MORTIMER J. LACHER LECTURE sponsored by the MSKCC Division of Hematologic Oncology of the Department of Medicine was  held on Friday afternoon, May 20, 2011, in the Zuckerman Research Building...
Kenneth Kaushansky, MD, MACP, Dean School of Medicine, Stony Brook University was the guest lecturer: Thrombopoietin: From Cloning to Clinic

HEART DISEASE
ABOUT STATIN MEDICATION FOR LYMPHOMA PATIENTS

AND MORE ABOUT HEART AND ARTERY DISEASE AFTER RADIATION THERAPY

LINKS TO USEFUL  INFORMATION ABOUT THE LYMPHOMAS AND ALLIED CANCERS

FELLOWSHIP RECIPIENTS

YOUR RESEARCH DOLLARS AT WORK ----- JUNE 2011

The following research was supported with Lymphoma Foundation grants:

Janus kinase 2 (JAK2) as a Therapeutic Target in Graft-versus-Host Disease
Brian Betts, MD Mentor: James Young, MD

Janus kinase 2 (JAK2) is a principle regulator of cytokine signaling in inflammation. We have demonstrated that selective JAK2 inhibition with TG101348 induces allotolerance without impairing viral immunity in vitro.  JAK2 inhibition also extends survival in a mouse graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) model, without compromising engraftment.  The immunosuppressive effects of JAK2 inhibition are primarily T cell-dependent, though JAK2 is required for full phenotypic maturation of monocyte-derived dendritic cell (moDC).  JAK2 inhibition preserves baseline levels of allogeneic resting, central memory, and effector memory T cells, while suppressing CD25, a marker of alloreactivity, in the central and effector memory compartments.  JAK2 blockade does not impair regulatory T cell (Treg) expansion, and enhances the Treg:effector ratio in favor of the Tregs.  JAK2 inhibition reduces the production of proinflammatory cytokines, and impairs the expansion of alloreactive T helper 1 (Th1) and T helper 17 (Th17) cells.  TG101348 is a highly selective JAK2 inhibitor, which ablates JAK2 signaling and preserves JAK3 signaling in T cells.  JAK2 represents a biologically relevant target in preventing and treating GvHD and allograft rejection, without broader immune impairment.

Engineering Antigen Receptors for T-Cell Immunotherapy

Marcela Maus, MD Mentor: Michel Sadelain, MD, PhD
 

Over the past decade, the adoptive transfer of T cells has emerged as an effective therapy in some patients with hematological malignancies or melanoma. To be more broadly applicable, tumor-reactive T cells would have to be easily accessible and expandable from any patient. Recently, several groups have explored retroviral transduction of autologous T cells with molecularly designed antigen-specific receptors, either based on native T cell receptors, or chimeric antigen receptors, or CARs. The goal of this project is to develop an approach to target T cells to an intracellular antigen, focusing on NY-ESO-1 expressing tumors such as melanoma or myeloma. We have chosen NYESO1 as a target antigen because of its frequent expression in a wide variety of tumors yet restricted expression in normal tissues. The central hypothesis is that an intracellular antigen can be targeted by retroviral transduction of T cells with either a chimeric antigen receptor or a T cell receptor that has been engineered to avoid mispairing. We are also comparing a chimeric antigen receptor that is based on a TCR-like antibody that is specific for HLA-A2/NYESO1 peptide to a panel of the engineered TCRs with the same specificity. In the past year, Dr. Maus has designed and generated retroviral vectors with a panel of constructs for the engineered T cell receptors, and has generated preliminary data showing that an antibody-based chimeric antigen receptor can be targeted toward an intracellular tumor antigen; however, although the scFv-based CAR was very specific for HLA-A2 bound to NYESO peptide when it was generated in soluble form (i.e., an antibody), we have found that when the same scFv is membrane-bound as part of a CAR, there is some peptide-independent binding to HLA-A2. Based on the crystal structure of the antibody binding to HLA-A2/peptide, a panel of mutants has been generated in the scFv in an attempt to decrease binding to the HLA-A2 molecule; testing of these mutants ex vivo and in vivo is underway.

THE ANNUAL MORTIMER J. LACHER FELLOWS RESEARCH

 CONFERENCE WAS HELD IN THE ZUCKERMAN RESEARCH

 BUILDING OF THE MEMORIAL SLOAN KETTERING CANCER CENTER

Friday May 20, 2011
9:00 – 11:30 AM in Zuckerman 105

Introduction:

Craig Moskowitz, MD

PRESENTATIONS:

Brian Betts, MD

Mentor: James Young, MD

Janus kinase 2 (JAK2) as a Therapeutic Target in Graft-versus-Host Disease

Marcela Maus, MD

Mentor: Michel Sadelain, MD, PhD

Engineering Antigen Receptors for T-Cell Immunotherapy

Jae Park, MD

Mentor: Renier Brentjens, MD, PhD

Treatment of B-cell Leukemia with CD19-targeted Genetically Modified T-cells: The Next Step

Alan Hanash, MD, PhD

Mentor: Marcel van den Brink, MD, PhD

Novel Cytokine Pathways in Graft vs. Host Disease

Christopher Barker, MD

Mentor: Joachim Yahalom, MD, FACR

Total Body Irradiation:  Past, Present and Future

Concluding Remarks:

Mortimer J. Lacher, MD, FACP
 A Historical Review of Clinician Scientists and Their Accomplishments
 at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

THE SECOND ANNUAL MORTIMER J. LACHER LECTURE

Was held on Friday May 20, 2011 
3:00 – 4:30PM in the Zuckerman Research Building - 105

Guest Lecturer:

Kenneth Kaushansky, M.D., M.A.C.P.
Sr. Vice President, Health Sciences … Dean, School of Medicine

Stony Brook University

THREE OUTSTANDING CLINICIAN SCIENTISTS ARE THE NEWEST MEMBERS OF THE BOARD OF THE LYMPHOMA FOUNDATION

Raymond L. Comenzo, MD is the Director, Blood Bank and Stem Cell Processing Laboratory, Department of Medicine, Hematology/Oncology Divisions of the Tufts Medical Center, Boston, MA

Andrew D. Zelenetz, MD, PhD, is the Chief of the Lymphoma Service, Division of Hematology/Oncology, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY

Marcel R. M. van den Brink, MD, PhD, holds the Alan N. Houghton Chair and is the Head, Division of Hematologic Oncology at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY

DR. RANDY GASCOYNE WAS THE GUEST LECTURER

AT THE FIRST ANNUAL MORTIMER J. LACHER LECTURE OF THE MEMORIAL SLOAN KETTERING CANCER CENTER HELD IN THE ZUCKERMAN RESEARCH BUILDING - MAY 26, 2010

12:30 – 1:30PM in ZRC-105

Randy D. Gascoyne, M.D., Guest Lecturer

Dissecting Hodgkin Lymphoma Biology to Better Understand Treatment Failure

Clinical Professor of Pathology, University of British Columbia

Hematopathologist, BC Cancer Agency & the BC Cancer Research Center

Research Director, Center of Lymphoid Cancers BCCA

FOLLOW THIS LINK TO

PREVIOUS LACHER FELLOWS RESEARCH CONFERENCES

ON SATURDAY MAY 22nd 2010 ... A FAMILY FRIENDLY EVENT
THE 13TH ANNUAL BRIAN ROONEY RUN/WALK WAS HELD AT 10AM IN CENTRAL PARK, NEW YORK CITY, THAT  RAISED FUNDS FOR LYMPHOMA CANCER RESEARCH  THE POST RACE PARTY AGAIN TOOK PLACE AT THE EAST END TAVERN (LOCATED BETWEEN 82ND AND 83RD STREET ON FIRST AVENUE) AND FEATURED DELICIOUS SANDWICH 'WRAPS', FRUIT SALAD, DESERT AND COOKIES

 RESEARCH SUPPORTED BY LYMPHOMA FOUNDATION GRANTS: A REPORT IN SEPTEMBER 2009
BY M. LIA PALOMBA, M.D.

CHRONIC LYMPHOCYTIC LEUKEMIA (CLL) SIGNALING STUDY: “This is a collaboration [with myself] and  Drs. van den Brink (Immunology) and Gregoire Altan-Bonnet (Computational Biology) [Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center] .We have so far screened 60 samples from patients with CLL with known prognostic features… and 10 healthy individuals as control. Thawed peripheral blood mononuclear cells from patients and healthy volunteers are stimulated with anti-IgM antibody to cross-link the B cell receptor (BCR) and initiate signaling events. The cells are then fixed and permeabilized. A mixture of surface and intracellular antibodies recognizing lymphocyte markers and phosphorylated (activated) signaling proteins is then used to establish the level of activation in CD20+/CD5+ B cells in different patients (CD20+ cells in normal volunteers). We have been able to show both a higher responsiveness to the B cell Receptor (BCR) stimulation in CLL B cells compared to normal B cells and a high degree of variability among patients. We are trying to establish if there is a correlate between this variability and the prognostic features of each patient. For this purpose we plan to create software that will allow us to analyze the substantial amount of data generated by flow cytometry and the available clinical data and provide an easy graphic representation.”

DIFFICULTY IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF A LYMPHOMA VACCINE: UPDATE SEPTEMBER 2009: regarding the CD20 DNA vaccine clinical trial: “This protocol is a dose-escalation study of a heteroclitic DNA vaccine, given five times at three week intervals, using a fragment of mouse CD20 DNA as the immunogen. Since my last report, this study has undergone significant expansion of the eligibility criteria in order to improve accrual, which, however, continues to be low. Currently, eligible patients must have had at least one prior treatment with chemo- radiation- or immuno­therapy. All histologies except Burkitt’s lymphoma and lymphoblastic lymphoma are allowed. Prior autologous stem cell transplant is now allowed. Because of concerns of inducing permanent B cell depletion, the FDA has requested that each of the first three patients (pre-level 1 cohort) be enrolled in a staggered manner and receive a significantly lower DNA dose compared to the three cohorts of the study in order to be monitored closely for toxicities. Their circulating B cells will be serially measured by flow cytometry at established time points before, during and after the treatment period. Our first patient received 4 out of 5 planned vaccinations due to progression of disease. No depletion of B cells was observed. The second patient withdrew from the study before receiving the first vaccination. We are in the process of screening 2 more potential patients for enrollment this month.”

READ...DEDICATED CLINICIAN SCIENTISTS TELL YOU…IN THEIR OWN WORDS… ABOUT THEIR PAST ACHIEVMENTS AND THEIR CURRENT EFFORTS IN FINDING WAYS TO CURE ALL CANCERS

LYMPHOMA FOUNDATION SUPPORTED RESEARCH ACCOMPLISHMENTS

IT TAKES TIME TO EFFECT CHANGE BUT AS NOTED BELOW... LYMPHOMA FOUNDATION GRANT SUPPORT FOR PATIENT ORIENTED RESEARCH LED TO A MAJOR CHANGE IN HODGKIN’S DISEASE TREATMENT

SPEARHEADED BY THE RESEARCH “Results of a prospective randomized clinical trial of doxorubicin, bleomycin, vinblastine, and dacarbazine (ABVD) followed by radiation therapy (RT) versus ABVD alone for stages I, II, and IIIA nonbulky Hodgkin disease” published in the journal Blood, 1 December 2004, Vol. 104, No. 12, pp. 3483-3489, a major change of treatment by many medical oncologists occurred.

Chemotherapy alone is now used for the initial treatment of most patients with early stage non-bulky Hodgkin lymphoma… avoiding the initial use of radiation therapy that has a high incidence of late serious side-effects.  And Dr. David Straus the leader of this Memorial Sloan Kettering research project wrote to the Lymphoma Foundation: “I am very grateful for your [the Lymphoma Foundation] support of this study.”

ANOTHER HODGKIN’S STUDY UPDATE: Dr. Straus reported that as of August 1, 2008 “We have also made progress in our long-term Hodgkin’s survivor study. Our protocol, “A Global Assessment of Medical Morbidities and Quality of Life Among Survivors of Hodgkin Lymphoma” (IRB #05-041), is nearing completion of enrollment.” And once again, Dr. Straus noted: “The support of the Lymphoma Foundation has been invaluable in moving forward these efforts to improve the outcome for patients with Hodgkin lymphoma, and I am deeply grateful for your … support.”

LABORATORY AND CLINICAL RESEARCH FREQUENTLY ADVANCE AT A SNAIL'S PACE

AUGUST 2008 UPDATE OF LYMPHOMA FOUNDATION SUPPORTED RESEARCH REGARDING A VACCINE AGAINST LYMPHOMA
The CD20 DNA vaccine developed by the Sloan Kettering research team headed by Dr. Alan Houghton and assisted by Dr. M. Lia Palomba and many other members of the Houghton laboratory staff… after over ten years of support by annual Lymphoma Foundation grants... is finally leaving the laboratory phase and is entering a clinical patient oriented phase.  This clinical phase is proving to be more difficult than initially anticipated as the need to protect the patients from any possible untoward effect of the vaccine has led to extremely stringent and narrow criteria for entry into the clinical trial and follow-up care. In this regard… Dr. Palomba informed the Lymphoma Foundation in August 2008 that “…The FDA has requested that the first enrolled patient be followed until completion of all vaccinations and his/her circulating B cells and quantitative serum immunoglobulins be serially monitored before enrolling patient number 2. This will delay accrual of the second patient by about 3-4 months.” Patient accrual for safety reasons, therefore, will be very slow and the ultimate test of the value of the vaccine will not be known for many months to come.
 

AND also see Lymphoma Foundation  NEWSLETTERS

   

 IMPORTANT DATA : ABOUT YOUR VITAMIN D REQUIREMENT CONCERNING YOUR NEED FOR A HIGHER DAILY INTAKE OF VITAMIN D AND CAUTION WITH REGARD TO THE NEW SHINGLES (HERPES ZOSTER) VACCINE
 

MORE INFORMATION ABOUT VITAMIN D

JULY 2008

FROM: JAMA NEWS  in the Journal of the American Medical Association

LOW VITAMIN D LINKED TO INCREASE HEART DEATH

“The weight of evidence connecting low vitamin D levels with poor health is getting heavier. One study published in the June 9 Archives of Internal Medicine linked low levels of this vitamin in men to an increased risk of myocardial infarction. The other, in the June 23 issue of the same journal, found that being deficient in this vitamin more than doubled the risk of death from any cause. "The evidence is just becoming overwhelming," said Dr. Harald Dobnig, lead author on the second paper and professor of internal medicine at the Medical University of Graz in Austria. These are the latest studies to identify low vitamin D as a significant health risk. Additional analyses completed on the cohort studied by Dr. Dobnig and [studies] due to be published in the future show that vitamin D status also influences the risk of cancer and stroke.”

AND a cautionary note:

“Also, while compelling evidence appears to support the notion that low vitamin D is unhealthy, less data exist to signal that increasing consumption will improve health status. Studies investigating this premise are forthcoming. Researchers are pursuing vitamin D supplementation as possible treatments for a wide range of health issues from obesity to diabetes to various forms of cancer.”

OCTOBER 13, 2008

Doubling of Vitamin D for Children Is Urged

as reported in an ASSOCIATED PRESS release

“CHICAGO (AP) — The country’s leading group of pediatricians is recommending that children receive double the usually suggested amount of vitamin D because of evidence that it might help prevent serious diseases.” “The new advice is based on mounting research about potential benefits from vitamin D besides keeping bones strong, including suggestions that it might reduce the risk for cancer, diabetes and heart disease. But the evidence is not conclusive, and there is no consensus on how much vitamin would be needed for disease prevention.”
 

PREVIOUS LYMPHOMA FOUNDATION NEWS -

MULITPLE MYELOMA TREATMENT ENTERS A NEW PHASE:

IN AUGUST 2007  RAYMOND L. COMENZO, MD REPORTED  TO THE LYMPHOMA FOUNDATION: “Regarding our current clinical research, we have three protocols open and accruing that the Lymphoma Foundation is helping to support. The first is a phase II trial that employs Bortezomib with multiple other agents for patients with newly diagnosed high-risk multiple myeloma. The second and third employ Bortezomib for patients with systemic AL-amyloidosis. One is a phase II trial for newly diagnosed patients who receive a stem cell transplant and then adjuvant therapy with Bortezomib and dexamethasone if there is persistent plasma cell disease. The other is a phase I/II trial for previously treated patients with relapsed or progressive disease. This trial is just entering the phase II level. Significant activity was seen in the phase I portion of the study (25% complete response rate) as reported at ASCO in June 2007. Clinical research in myeloma is entering an era of more drugs and increasing complexity. At Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center our myeloma group is opening trials for patients with advanced disease employing Bortezomib with 17-AAG in one case and with Avastin in another. We are seeking approval for a Bortezomib-based phase II trial as initial therapy in non-transplant myeloma patients. We also have a phase II investigator-initiated trial opening soon that uses the new agent Lenalidomide (Revlimid) and Rituxan for CD20+ myeloma…  “We depend on the help of the Lymphoma Foundation and other supporters to allow us to stay in the forefront of clinical research in myeloma asking the hard question -- is early stem cell transplant better?  It is important to note that all the investigator-initiated trials have translational objectives that are laboratory-based. The Lymphoma Foundation's support is critical for these efforts.”

GO TOP

JULY 2007 - DEVELOPING A CANCER VACCINE AGAINST LYMPHOMA —

CONTINUING WORK TOWAD A PATIENT ORIENTED CLINICAL TRIAL OF A CANCER VACCINE

In the PROGRESS REPORT FOR THE LYMPHOMA FOUNDATION submitted by Maria Lia Palomba, MD and Alan N. Houghton, MD they noted further progress leading toward a cancer vaccine clinical trial:  PART I: “We have constructed a set of CD20 vectors with predicted enhanced immunogenicity based on either the creation of novel MHC high-affinity epitopes by site directed mutagenesis or by fusing the CD20 DNA (naïve, xenogeneic or epitope­optimized) with fusion partners which our laboratory has shown to improve DNA vaccines efficacy. We have shown that single amino acid mutations at anchor residues of MHC class I epitopes can increase their affinity for the cognate MHC molecule (1). Using an algorithm generated in our laboratory, with support of the Lymphoma Foundation (2), we have identified several potential heteroclitic epitopes, both in the extracellular portion of CD20 and across the entire span of the CD20 protein.

(1) Guevara-Patino, J.A., M.E. Engelhorn, M.J. Turk, C. Liu, F. Duan, G. Rizzuto, A.D. Cohen, T. Merghoub, J.D. Wolchok, and A.N. Houghton. 2006. Optimization of a self antigen for presentation of multiple epitopes in cancer immunity. J Clin Invest 116:1382-1390.   (2) Houghton, C.S., M.E. Engelhorn, C. Liu, D. Song, P. Gregor, P.O. Livingston, F. Orlandi, J.D. Wolchok, J. McCracken, A.N. Houghton, and J.A. Guevara-Patino. 2007. Immunological validation of the EpitOptimizer program for streamlined design of heteroclitic epitopes. Vaccine, in press.”

PART II: JULY 2007 TO THE LYMPHOMA FOUNDATION: BY Maria Lia Palomba, MD and Alan N. Houghton, MD:  Regarding a clinical trial of anti-CD20 DNA vaccine in patients with relapsed or refractory lymphoma: “We have developed a clinical trial for patients with relapsed or refractory lymphoma, and we are in the final stages of attaining approval to begin the trial, which we anticipate will be in the early fall 2007, pending no request to changes to the protocol:The protocol was approved by the Department of Medicine Steering Committee, Research Council and passed initial IRB review at MSKCC (along with several other committees). The protocol was approved by the Recombinant DNA Advisory Committee of the NIH after public review and following minor modifications. A pre-IND teleconference with the FDA raised only minor concerns. Toxicity studies in rabbits are now completed and show no evidence of toxic effects.The CD20 vaccine to be used in the proposed study has been manufactured and vialed, and the GMP-manufactured product is being stored at MSKCC in the Pharmacy Department and ready for use following protocol approval by the FDA. An IND application was recently submitted to the FDA. The protocol is also simultaneously undergoing final reviews by the MSKCC Institutional Biosafety Committee and the Institutional Review Board. Bringing this vaccine to clinical trials has been challenging but we are delighted to report that the clinical trial should begin in the next few months.”

NOTEWORTHY INFORMATION:  About the development of second cancers and heart disease after successful lymphoma treatment...

Lymphoma specialists continue to try to figure out the best way to adjust the initial methods of therapy for all lymphoma patients and especially for Hodgkin's patients that will continue to confer long life but will avoid the late occurring development of second cancers (especially breast cancer) and cardiovascular damage induced by the radiation and chemotherapy.

Women must do everything possible to try to detect the development of a second primary breast cancer at the earliest stage that may still be curable... by diligent attention to obtaining their mammograms (see data concerning the value of mammography).

Second cancers induced primarily by a late effect of radiation is a continuing dilemma that is not easily solved. On the one hand radiation therapy can confer a long life free of the primary lymphoma and then, much later in life, it is the source of the development of a wide variety of second cancers that are still very difficult to treat.

The death of a young man from colon cancer 16 years after he was first treated for Hodgkin's disease highlights this ongoing clinical problem. A special memorial note about David Klein who succumbed to an uncontrollable colon cancer at the age of 38, sixteen years after he was first treated for Hodgkin's disease... may be found among the SPECIAL MEMORIAL NOTICES on the Board Members page. Also note: David's extraordinary memoir Savoring Life in Sickness and Health is still available. Go to the Publications page for a  post office address or email address to obtain a copy.

YOUR ATTENTION PLEASE...

PRESERVING LONG LIFE BY ADDING A STATIN TO YOUR 'DIET'

Ask your doctor to check your LDL-Cholesterol. It is more important than your total cholesterol. New data indicates that the 'old' guidelines may have to be revised and your goal should be an LDL-Cholesterol of 70 (seventy) or lower. For more information see the LYMPHOMA FOUNDATION NEWSLETTERS concerning Editorials about the value of statin medication, "THE IDEAL CHOLESTEROL: Lower is better" and the dilemma concerning the best treatment for Follicular Lymphomas and summaries of work supported in part by Lymphoma Foundation grants. ALSO GO TO: HEART and ARTERY CHANGES AFTER TREATMENT and review Commentary by Clinical and Basic Research Scientists receiving grant support from the Lymphoma Foundation to help you appreciate their efforts and accomplishments regarding vaccine therapy, monoclonal antibody treatments, the role of genetics in preventing or causing cancer, advances in the treatment of ovarian cancer, stem cell transplantation, radiation and chemotherapy to treat Hodgkin's disease, the non-Hodgkin's lymphomas, leukemia and myeloma and the unique role of the telomere in aging and cancer causation.

FOLLOW THIS LINK TO THE LACHER FELLOWS RESEARCH CONFERENCES

THE 10TH ANNUAL BRIAN ROONEY RUN/WALK IN CENTRAL PARK, NEW YORK CITY WAS HELD SATURDAY MORNING MAY 19, 2007 and once again the Run was attended by a wonderful group of 'runners' and 'walkers'. After the Run at Snapper Creek Tavern a delicious luncheon buffet was enjoyed by the participants

Proceeds from the run will be supplemented by the Lymphoma Foundation to distribute grants for the support of basic lymphoma cell research, monoclonal anti-body research for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and continuing clinical trials and improvements in stem cell transplantation for relapsing lymphoma

The Ninth Annual Lymphoma Foundation Brian Rooney Run/Walk was held on Saturday May 20th, 2006 in Central Park, New York City and was attended by an enthusiastic group of 'runners' and 'walkers'. After the Run they all enjoyed a delicious luncheon buffet at Snapper Creek.
This special event is held each spring in memory of Brian, an avid runner, who died at the age of 32 from non-Hodgkin's lymphoma... has raised funds each year for the past eight years to support clinical and basic lymphoma research by Dr. Dennis Cooper, Yale University, Dr. Gerald Spangrude, University of Utah and Dr. John Leonard, Cornell University that resulted in adding important data regarding the basic nature of normal and abnormal lymphocytes, improvements in stem cell transplantation and the use of newly developed monoclonal antibodies to treat non-Hodgkin's lymphomas.

INFORMATION FOR PERSONS WHO WANT TO LEARN ABOUT HUMAN RESEARCH CLINICAL TRIALS Many individuals want to know where to find information concerning patient research trials: Just click on the ClinicalTrials.gov link and type in the subject you are looking for. For instance: When you reach the CLINICAL TRIALS website type in the words LYMPHOMA VACCINE and you will be directed to the current lymphoma vaccine trials.

FOLLOW THIS LINK TO HUMAN RESEARCH TRIALS
http://www.clinicaltrials.gov
This website provides regularly updated information about federally and privately supported clinical research in human volunteers for all forms of disease (e.g. Cancer, Heart Disease, etc.). ClinicalTrials.gov gives you information about a trial's purpose, who may participate, locations, and phone numbers for more details.

American Society of Hematology and American Society of Clinical Oncology
NATIONAL RESEARCH MEETING presentations by clinician/scientists supported in part by grants from the Lymphoma Foundation

 WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT BREAST CANCER  AND THE NEED FOR EARLY MAMMOGRAPHIC SURVEILLANCE
Early and diligent mammographic screening has been recommended… as early as 5 years after the initial radiation therapy even if that occurs long before the age of 40.  

GENETIC RESEARCH of the LYMPHOMAS and Breast, Ovary and Colon cancer is supported by Lymphoma Foundation grants (2002-2006)

Special Lymphoma Foundation grants to the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center were awarded in 2004-2007 for research directed toward improving the lives of children with cancer

SUPPORT CANCER RESEARCH
Support the Lymphoma Foundation

MEMORIAL TRIBUTES
David Klein
Joan Rooney
Sr. Kathleen Toner
Edward Spiegel
The hand of tragedy reached out and ended a life of caring and generosity with the sudden  death of Edward Spiegel... another dedicated Board Member of the Lymphoma Foundation    ♥♥♥ 

THE LYMPHOMA FOUNDATION MISSION AND GOALS

►►For detailed information about non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma and Hodgkin's disease and all forms of cancer: Connect to links with the National Cancer Institute and patient research Clinical Treatment Trials

SPECIAL HONORS 2006-2007
On June 6, 2007 the Department of Radiation Oncology held a special Grand Rounds at MSKCC honoring the Lymphoma Foundation and Dr. Mortimer J. Lacher, MD.  Brad Hoppe, MD, the designated Lacher Lymphoma Fellow for 2007-2008 presented and reviewed the data regarding unique treatments of "Relapsed and Primary Diffuse Large Cell Lymphoma" ... Michelle Klem, MD, the Radiation Oncology Lacher Fellow 2005-2006 reviewed the current Consortium results of the Breast Cancer survey of patients irradiated for Hodgkin's disease. Dr. Joachim Yahalom introduced the speakers and Dr. Lacher summarized data with regard to secondary side-effects of radiation and chemotherapy in lymphoma and other cancer patients.
John P. Leonard, M.D. was promoted to Professor of Medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College and was named the Richard T. Silver Distinguished Professor of Hematology and Medical Oncology.
Tarun Kewalramani, M.D. was awarded the Major Family Fund grant and received the Fellows' Hematology Attending Teaching Award

SPECIAL HONORS - 2004 - 2005
John P. Leonard, M.D. received 'First Prize, Department of Medicine Investigator Award, Weill Medical College of Cornell University
Kenneth Offit, MD was awarded the American Cancer Society Career Research Recognition Award
Craig Moskowitz, MD was promoted to Associate Member of the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
Carol Aghajanian, MD was named Chief of the Gynecologic Medical Oncology Service of the MSKCC Department of Medicine
On June 7, 2005 the New York Cancer Society and the Fund for Blood and Cancer Research honored Mortimer J. Lacher, M.D., President of the Lymphoma Foundation, with the CATHERINE MARGARET PASMANTIER AWARD FOR HIS OUTSTANDING ACCOMPLISHMENTS in the FIELD OF LYMPHOMA
On October 16, 2004 the Center for Lymphoma and  Myeloma of the Weil Medical College of Cornell University and The New York Presbyterian Hospital presented The JOHN ULTMANN AWARD to Mortimer J. Lacher, M.D. FOR HIS OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTIONS TO PATIENT CARE, RESEARCH AND EDUCATION IN THE LYMPHOMAS

DURING 2007-2008 LYMPHOMA FOUNDATION RESEARCH GRANTS WERE AWARDED FOR:
►High-dose chemotherapy and stem cell transplantation for large cell lymphoma and relapsed and refractory Hodgkin’s disease.

►A patient oriented clinical trial of a DNA vaccine against CD20 antigen expressed by lymphoma cells.

►Further assessment of novel monoclonal antibodies in B-cell malignancies (e.g.  Epratuzumab, an anti-CD22 monoclonal antibody).

►Evaluation of combination regimens with rituximab and biologic agents (including IL-2, anti-CD80, revlimid (lenalidomide) and CpG immunostimulatory oligonucleotides).

►Studies of radioimmunotherapy as part of initial therapy for lymphoma (e.g. fludarabine + I-131 tositumomab).
 

►New trials of chemotherapy regimens using bendamustine, a chemotherapeutic agent that has demonstrated activity in patients with chemo-resistant and rituximab-resistant disease.

►The use of new approaches to the treatment of multiple myeloma.

►Seeking genetic modifiers that are protective against various forms of cancer (e.g. lymphoma, breast cancer and colon cancer).

►Devising new effective treatments for patients with low grade lymphoma and chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

►Defining the genetic makeup of the Neurofibromas that may lead to an effective treatment for patients with NF1.

►Initiatives in assessing lymphoma patients’ survivorship after treatment to better understand the needs and problems of our patients who are in remission after therapy.

DURING 2005-2006 LYMPHOMA FOUNDATION RESEARCH GRANTS WERE AWARDED FOR:

►CONTINUING DEVELOPMENT OF VACCINES AGAINST LYMPHOMA and other cancers -  Dr. Alan Houghton and Dr. David Scheinberg - MSKCC

►IMRT - INTENSITY MODULATED RADIATION THERAPY - Dr. Joachim Yahalom - MSKCC

►SPECIAL STUDY OF THE RELATIONSHIP OF RADIATION THERAPY TO BREAST CANCER - Dr. Joachim Yahalom - MSKCC

►RESEARCH OF AGING and NF1 -- NEUROFIBROMATOSIS -Dr. Christopher Counter - Duke University - Dr. Kenneth Offit - and Dr. Suresh Jhanwar - Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

►CONTINUING DEVELOPMENT OF TARGETED ALPHA PARTICLE and ATOMIC NANOGENERATORS - Dr. David Scheinberg - MSKCC

►CHEMOTHERAPY OF HODGKIN'S AND NON-HODGKIN'S LYMPHOMAS and OVARIAN CANCER - Dr. Tarun Kewalramani,, Dr. David Straus, Dr. Carol Aghajanian, Dr.Paul Sabbatini - MSKCC;

►STEM CELLS and TRANSPLANTATION - Dr. Craig Moskowitz, Dr. Stephen Nimer - MSKCC; Dr.Dennis Cooper - Yale University; Dr. Gerald Spangrude - University of Utah

►MONOCLONAL ANTIBODY THERAPY--
 ANTI-LEUKEMIA THERAPY.. PROTEASOME INHIBITORS.. MYELOMA - Dr. Owen O'Connor, Dr. Raymond Comenzo - MSKCC; Dr. John Leonard - Cornell University

►GENETICS - Dr. Kenneth Offit - MSKCC

SPECIAL JUNE 2009MEETING
THE MEMORIAL SLOAN KETTERING LYMPHOMA/HEMATOLOGY/ AND RADIATION THERAPY FELLOWS SEMINAR  will be held in June 2009 in the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center Rockefeller Research Laboratory Building

NATIONAL RESEARCH MEETINGS

The annual meeting of the AMERICAN SOCIETY OF HEMATOLOGY - will be held in December 2009

The annual meeting of the AMERICAN SOCIETY OF CLINICAL ONCOLOGY - June 2009 - See: web site :www.asco.org
 

The ▲ BOARD  of the Lymphoma Foundation has also reached out
to find unique ways to support the research and education
of Oncology/Hematology ▲ FELLOWS.

Through the Marie Project Initiative of the Lymphoma Foundation special efforts are supported that will lead to the prevention and cure of ▲BREAST CANCER

▲HEART DISEASE - AND THE IMPORTANCE of CONTROLLING YOUR CHOLESTEROL

▲EVENTS and SCIENTIFIC MEETINGS

CONTACT THE LYMPHOMA FOUNDATION

CALL THE LYMPHOMA FOUNDATION AT
212-831-5332
EMAIL US: LYMPHOMA@AOL.COM with your name and address and your request.

►►►  AND ON THE INTERNET YOU CAN LEARN MORE ABOUT THE LYMPHOMAS and ALLIED MEDICAL PROBLEMS BY LOGGING ON TO THE WEBSITE LINKS LISTED ON THE CONTACT PAGE

You can also write to the Lymphoma Foundation at the following address:

The Lymphoma Foundation
P.O. Box 286236
New York, New York 10128

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▲SCIENTISTS ▲RESEARCH  ▲ EVENTS  ▲ BOARD ▲ FELLOWS ▲BREAST CANCER  HEART DISEASE ▼PUBLICATIONS ▼CONTACT  US

The Lymphoma Foundation is a nationwide not for profit foundation dedicated to funding clinical and basic laboratory cancer research and applying the knowledge developed by the clinician scientists to the general welfare and education of all cancer patients. 

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