Who We Fund

University of California at Davis

In 1997, I began as an academic physician at UC Davis. I developed a productive, independent laboratory-based research program, and as the Director of Hematologic Malignancies Program created one of the most productive clinical trials programs at the UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center. I currently am the deLeuze Endowed Professor for the non-toxic cure for lymphoma, Director of Bone Marrow and Stem Cell Transplantation and the interim Division Chief of Malignant Hematology Cellular Therapy and Transplantation.

My research has focused on immune-mediated therapeutics to reduce toxicity and enhance efficacy, including development of antibody drug conjugates, antibody-targeted liposomes, development of alternative natural products, and bi- and tri-specific antibodies. 

This work resulted in some 38 publications, 3 VA Merit and 12 intramural awards, and 3 patents (1 pending), which has facilitated ongoing funding of my lab and established me as an expert in targeted immuno-therapeutics.

Program Name(s)

Translational Research Program

Project Title

Gene-edited CD19 CAR-T cells with superior proliferation, persistence and serial-killing activity

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

I am a Research Scholar in the laboratory of Dr. Omar Abdel-Wahab at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. I obtained my Bachelor’s degree at East China University of Science and Technology and completed my PhD training at the Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health in the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences under the mentorship of Dr. Lan Wang. During my graduate studies, I identified an important role of the histone methyltransferase SETD2 in the transformation of patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) to acute myeloid leukemia (AML). As an LLS Special Fellow, I will focus on developing novel CAR-T cell therapy targeting cell surface expression of the RNA helicase U5 snRNP200. Moreover, I will explore the mechanistic basis for cell surface localization of U5 snRNP200 on AML cells. I hope that my work has immediate therapeutic potential for the future treatment of AML while shedding important novel insights into the pathobiology of AML.

Program Name(s)

Career Development Program

Rutgers University

I am a tenured scientist with combined training in metabolism, epigenetics, and how both affect human cancer. During my PhD, I focused on the molecular and genetic characterization of SIRT1 in metabolism and cancer. During my postdoc, I led highly pioneering studies published in Nature Medicine which identified the relevance of non-coding regions and cancer metabolism on the progression of NOTCH1-driven T-ALL.

Since I started my independent research program 8 years ago, I have established a very successful and productive lab focused on T-ALL. This is reflected by the multiple grants obtained, as well as by the publication of corresponding-author studies identifying novel therapies in top-tier journals such as Blood Cancer Discovery, Leukemia, Blood or Blood Neoplasia.

Here, I will develop clinical-grade KAT7 inhibitors for leukemia. My scientific productivity, together with my background in KAT7 and leukemia mouse models make me an ideal fit to lead this project, together with my co-PI.

Program Name(s)

Career Development Program

Translational Research Program

Project Title

Therapeutic exploitation of novel mouse models and metabolic interventions in leukemia

First-in-class KAT7 inhibitors for pediatric leukemia

Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich

Martin Dreyling is Professor of Medicine and head of the lymphoma programme at the Department of Medicine III, LMU Hospital Munich. He studied at the Universities of Düsseldorf, Giessen, Tübingen and Würzburg, and completed his clinical training at the Universities of Bonn, Münster, Göttingen and Munich. In addition, he was visiting scientist at the University of Chicago.

His scientific focus is on the molecular basis of malignant transformation, cell cycle dysregulation and secondary genetic alterations as well as biological prognostic factors in malignant lymphoma. He is also interested in innovative therapeutic approaches, including molecular targeted approaches like inhibitors of the B-cell receptor pathway and immunological approaches.

Prof. Dreyling is coordinator of the European MCL Network and president of the German Lymphoma Alliance as well as EHA executive board member. He has co-authored numerous scientific papers and abstracts in international peer-reviewed journals.

Program Name(s)

Mantle Cell Lymphoma Research Initiative

Project Title

MULTIlayer Predictive models for relapsed MCL after ibrutinib as first line therapY (MULTIPLY)

MD Anderson Cancer Center

Dr. Carter, a Professor in the Section of Molecular Hematology and Therapy, Department of Leukemia has 20+ years of experience in molecular biology, biochemistry, and leukemia research. Her research focuses on understanding the mechanisms of drug resistance and targeting anti-apoptotic proteins and cell survival signaling pathways in myeloid leukemia. She is developing mechanism-based combinational strategies in therapy-resistant AML to overcome drug resistance and eradicate myeloid leukemia cells and leukemia stem/progenitor cells. She has published extensively in the field and several clinical trials have been developed based on her pre-clinical studies. Her recent works demonstrated the effectiveness and mechanisms of action of combined inhibition of antiapoptotic proteins Bcl-2 and Mcl-1 using BH3 mimetics (Blood Cancer Journal, 2023) and targeting HSP90 epichaperomes (Blood, 2023) in TP53 mutant AML.

Program Name(s)

Translational Research Program

Project Title

Targeting TP53-Y220C mutant AML

Van Andel Research Institute

I am an Associate Professor in the Department of Epigenetics at Van Andel Institute. My research is focused on epigenetic regulation of gene expression during blood cell formation and in the pathogenesis of blood cancer. I obtained PhD in Biochemistry from the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2001 and joined Dr. Joseph Lipsick’s laboratory at Stanford University for my postdoctoral training, where I became interested in blood cancer research. In 2008, I joined MD Anderson Cancer Center as a research track Assistant Professor, where I made seminal discoveries of the ENL protein as a novel histone acetylation reader and an attractive new therapeutic target for acute leukemias. In 2018, I started my independent lab at Van Andel Institute studying epigenetic regulation of gene expression in blood cancers. The overarching goal of my research is to understand and target ENL in acute leukemias. My long-term research goal is to translate our discoveries at bench to help leukemia patients in the clinic.

Program Name(s)

Career Development Program

Project Title

Investigating and targeting the histone acetylation reader protein ENL in acute leukemias

Josep Carreras Leukemia Research Institute

Dr. Melnick is a recognized leader in the fields of hematologic malignancies and cancer epigenetics. Among his major contributions are the first large-scale epigenomic studies in humans, which demonstrated that aberrant epigenetic programming is a hallmark of cancer and that epigenetic diversity is a key determinant of tumor fitness and poor clinical outcomes. These findings led to important mechanistic insights—for example, how mutations in IDH1 and IDH2 disrupt the epigenome through the production of an aberrant oncometabolite, and how mutations in TET2, WT1, IDH1/2, and FLT3 promote leukemogenesis through cooperative epigenetic reprogramming. This was the basis for him receiving the ASH Beutler Award for Outstanding Translational Research in 2020.  Dr. Melnick has played a foundational role in establishing the importance of epigenetic dysfunction in lymphomagenesis, elucidating the mechanistic roles of chromatin modifiers such as EZH2, CREBBP, EP300, KDM1A, KMT2D, HIST1H1, BTG1, ARID1A, TBL1XR1, and TET2. He has also pioneered studies on nuclear topology and its role in regulating the humoral immune response and the malignant transformation of B cells. In the therapeutic arena, Dr. Melnick has developed novel targeted therapies against key lymphoma oncoproteins such as BCL6, SIRT3, and MALT1, and has helped define the rationale for additional targets, including EZH2. Several of these therapeutic approaches have received FDA approval or progressed to phase III clinical trials. He has authored more than 350 scientific publications, held numerous national leadership roles, organized prominent scientific conferences, and devoted extensive effort to mentoring trainees and junior faculty—many of whom now lead distinguished careers in basic and translational research. Dr. Melnick serves on the Board of Directors of both the Blood Cancer United and the Lymphoma Research Foundation. He also has extensive experience initiating and leading multi-center and international research consortia, and is currently the Principal Investigator of several program grants, including two active Blood Cancer United SCOR and RAFL programmatic grants.  He recently took on the position of the Josep Carreras Institute in Barcelona, a unique, free-standing institute focused exclusively on Blood Cancer research, leveraging a diverse and highly accomplished team of cutting-edge basic, translational and clinical scientists. With expertise in many disciplines including epigenetics, immunology, stem cell biology, metabolism, genetics, cell biology and many others, the team integrates artificial intelligence and state-of-the-art preclinical facilities to lead the world in curing Blood Cancers.  The institute is located in Barcelona, which has become one of the top hotspots for biomedicine and biotech in Europe.

Program Name(s)

Research Accelerator for Follicular Lymphoma

Project Title

The ERADICATE follicular lymphoma consortium: accelerating improved outcomes for FL patients

The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research

My lab focuses on the tumor microenvironment as a risk factor for chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and Richter's transformation (RT). We develop therapeutic strategies targeting the interaction between CLL/RT and the TME. This research has been my focus since my postdoctoral studies, where I investigated auto-antigens in the TCL-1 mouse model and expanded this work in TCL-1/IgK-AID double transgenic mice that develop RT spontaneously. I've also created preclinical CLL patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models, including SRG-BA6 mice, which allow for the study of human lymph node fibroblastic stromal cells. Recently, I’ve gained expertise in single nucleus RNA sequencing, multiplex imaging, and using PDX models to develop novel therapies like R110-CART for CLL and RT. My lab is committed to interdisciplinary studies with therapeutic implications, and I have extensive experience in project management and collaboration, positioning me well to advance this research.

Program Name(s)

Translational Research Program

Project Title

Targeting TLR9 Signaling to restore immunomodulating function of FRCs in Richter's Transformation

Fondazione Centro San Raffaele

Dr. Matteo Bellone obtained an M.D. degree (with honors) and was Board Certified in Allergology and Clinical Immunology at the Università degli Studi di Milano, Italy. He had a 3-year post-doctoral training at the University of Minnesota working on autoimmunity with Bianca Conti-Fine. Since the early nineties he has been investigating interactions between cancer and immune cells with discoveries leading to several clinical outputs. He is Head of the Cellular Immunology Unit at Ospedale San Raffaele (Milan, Italy), where he also practices as Clinical Immunologist. He is adjunct professor of Immunology at Università Vita-Salute San Raffaele, Milan, Associate Editor at Frontiers in Immunology and Frontiers in Oncology, and member of several boards serving scientific journals and charities. He is Secretary and Treasurer of the Network Italiano per la BioTerapia dei Tumori (NIBIT), Council Member of the European Network for Cancer Immunotherapy (ENCI), and member of the SIICA, and the AACR.

Program Name(s)

Translational Research Program

Gut microbiota modulation to prevent progression of smoldering multiple myeloma to active disease

Stanford University

Dr. Lori Muffly MD MS is an Associate Professor of Medicine at Stanford University in the Division of Blood and Marrow Transplantation and Cellular Therapy. Dr. Muffly is a clinician and clinical investigator whose research includes both health outcomes and clinical trials pertaining to adults with acute leukemia. Her clinical practice serves adults across Northern California with advanced acute leukemias who require hematopoietic cell transplantation and other cellular immunotherapies. She has a specific research interest in improving access to specialty cancer care and reducing health disparities in young adults with acute lymphoblastic leukemia and has published extensively on these topics. She also serves as the PI of multiple investigator-initiated health outcomes studies and clinical trials, including studies evaluating measurable residual disease in adult acute lymphoblastic leukemia, novel chimeric antigen receptor T cell studies for acute leukemia, and she leads a recently established real world consortium investigating outcomes following cellular therapies administered to adults with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Dr. Muffly has successfully collaborated with Drs. Parsons and Keegan on several previous studies and publications related to adolescent and young adult leukemia and access to cancer care and has delivered numerous national talks on the subject.

Program Name(s)

Equity in Access

Project Title

Towards Equity in Specialized Cancer Care for Adolescents and Young Adults with Newly Diagnosed Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

TAP Partner

Crossbow Therapeutics is a biotechnology company determined to improve the lives of people with cancer by unlocking the therapeutic potential of T-cell receptor (TCR)-mimetic antibodies. The company’s T-Bolt™ therapies are next-generation, easily assembled immunotherapies directed with high precision at previously unreachable cancer cell targets.

Program Name(s)

Therapy Acceleration Program

Project Title

A phase 1 study of CBX-250, a TCR-mimetic antibody, in patients with AML, MDS, CMML or CML

A phase 1 study of CBX-663, a TCR-mimetic antibody, in patients with myeloid diseases

Children's Research Institute

Dr. Bollard received her medical degree at the University of Otago. She is board certified both in pediatrics and hematology. She is currently the Bosworth Chair for Cancer Biology, the Director of the Center for Cancer and Immunology Research, and the Director of the Program for Cell Enhancement and Technologies for Immunotherapy (CETI) at Children’s National Health System. She is a Professor of Pediatrics and of Microbiology, Immunology, and Tropical Medicine at The George Washington University and the Associate Center Director for Translational Research and Innovation at the GW Cancer Center. Dr. Bollard is a member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation (ASCI) and is the current President of the Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy (FACT). She is currently Editor in Chief of Blood Advances. She has over 200 peer reviewed publications. Her bench and translational research focuses on improving outcomes for patients after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and on the development of novel cell therapies for cancer and virus-associated diseases.

Program Name(s)

Translational Research Program

T cells with native and chimeric receptors against multiple tumor targets for acute myeloid leukemia