Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia Research Consortium
The National Cancer Institute has awarded a $16.5 million program project
grant to an internationally-recognized cancer researcher at the University of
California, San Diego to establish and lead a national research consortium
to study chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) in an entirely new way.
This is among the largest grants ever received at UCSD.
The consortium will be led by Thomas J. Kipps, M.D., Ph.D., director of the
UCSD Cancer Center's Translational Oncology Program and professor of
medicine at UCSD School of Medicine.
"I very much appreciate the encouragement and help of individuals at the
NCI in establishing this consortium, in particular Drs. Bruce Cheson and
Roy Wu," said Kipps. Bruce D. Cheson, M.D., is head of the Medicine
Section of the NCI's Cancer Therapy Evaluation Program (CTEP). Roy S.
Wu, Ph.D., is the health scientist administrator at CTEP.
"This is an exciting new approach to basic and clinical research," said
Cheson. "These investigators have put their egos and agendas aside and
joined forces in a major collaborative effort with the goal of curing CLL."
The consortium is unique in that it brings together the nation's top scientists
from different disciplines -- genetics, cell biology, biochemistry, immunology
and pharmacology -- to conduct an integrated program of basic and clinical
research focused on a single disease.
CLL is the most common adult leukemia, striking about 10,000 to 12,000
Americans a year, and is currently incurable. On average, patients survive
six to seven years.
The consortium, which involves nine leading institutions, includes six
projects and three cores (service centers). Five of the projects involve
laboratory-based studies designed to yield new insights into the distinctive
biology of CLL.
The sixth project involves a multi-centered clinical program to conduct
clinical trials of promising new agents developed at the member institutions
and under study in the five other projects.
"By cross-fertilizing ideas, we expect to generate new insights and novel
ways of attacking this relentless disease," said Kipps. "While our ultimate
goal is to cure CLL, we also believe that the insights we gain will shed
beneficial light on other types of cancers."
Members located around the U.S. hold "virtual" meetings in which they post
slides and other information on the consortium's website and discuss by
phone conferencing.
The consortium is also creating a sophisticated national tissue bank, which
collects blood samples on many different CLL patients. This makes it
possible for different member scientists to study the same tissue from
different angles, thus providing a multi-faceted analysis that has greater
potential for unraveling the mysteries of CLL.
"The idea is to provide a forum in which investigations on the genetics and
biochemistry and immunology can be done on the same specimen," said
Kipps. "So, for example, if we find a certain gene associated with CLL, we
can now attempt to determine if that's related to an abnormality in a
biochemical pathway, an immunological defect, or resistance to a certain
drug. In this way, we can more rapidly develop a comprehensive
understanding of the disease and then focus our efforts in the right
direction."
These focused efforts will translate into new clinical trials, and the
consortium will make these early trials available to more patients for whom
standard treatment has failed. Usually, clinical trials are not widely available
until they reach the final phases of testing (Phase III), making it necessary
for patients to travel long distances in order to participate in the earlier
phases.
More rapid accrual into Phase I and II clinical trials speeds the entire
process of bringing promising new therapies from the laboratory to patients
everywhere, creating new standards of care.
"Creating a multidisciplinary consortium of distinguished people and
institutions represents an exceptional achievement," said David Tarin, M.D.,
Ph.D., director of UCSD Cancer Center. "This powerful convergence of
skills will inevitably make a significant contribution to the treatment of
patients with this disease."
Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL) Research Consortium
Participating Institutions
The Burnham Institute, La Jolla, CA
Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
Johns Hopkins University Oncology Center, Baltimore, MD
Long Island Jewish Medical Center Division of Hematology/Oncology, New
Hyde Park, NY
M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
Ohio State University Cancer Center, Columbus, Ohio
Thomas Jefferson University Kimmel Cancer Institute, Philadelphia, PA
University of California, San Diego (UCSD) UCSD Cancer Center, La Jolla,
CA
Walter Reed Army Medical Center Hematology/Oncology Service,
Washington, D.C.
Related website:
Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia Research Consortium
[Contact: Nancy Stringer]
26-Apr-2000 |
