Research we fund

Dr. Olszewski’s trial will examine mosunetuzumab as a first-line treatment for follicular and marginal zone lymphomas—slow-growing types of B-cell lymphoma which remain incurable using current therapies. Mosunetuzumab is a “bispecific antibody” that can trigger an immune attack of patients’ own cancer-killing T-cells against the lymphoma. Dr. Olszewski team will look for characteristics that predict complete responses when this novel immunotherapy is applied as first-line treatment.

Project Term: April 1, 2022 - March 31, 2027

The goal of our work is to use a “bench to bedside and back” approach to develop new treatments for patients with relapsed/refractory AML. Through genetic analysis of patients who relapse or do not respond to standard and investigational treatments, we discover potential resistance mechanisms. In the lab, we test novel drugs and identify new drug targets that may address these resistance mechanisms when used in combination with other therapies. The overall goal of our research program is to improve treatment options and survival of patients with refractory AML.

Project Term: October 1, 2021 - September 30, 2026

Chromosomal rearrangements involving a gene called TP63 have been found in 5-10% of several subtypes of lymphomas and patients with TP63-rearrangements have dismal outcomes, with nearly 0% of patients surviving 5 years after diagnosis. We investigate the oncogenic mechanisms of TP63-rearrangements to find the unique cancer cell vulnerabilities to this rearrangement using different models. Our study will develop an effective therapeutic strategy for patients with TP63-rearranged lymphomas.

Project Term: July 1, 2019 - June 30, 2022

We focus on blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm (BPDCN), an aggressive blood cancer with limited treatment options and poor outcomes. We want to understand what causes the disease, develop laboratory tools, and identify new treatments and ways to overcome therapy resistance. We have translated our discoveries to clinical trials. Our goal is to continue this bench to beside approach to develop the next generation of BPDCN therapies that improve survival and minimize treatment toxicity.

Project Term: October 1, 2021 - September 30, 2026

In previous studies of recurrently amplified 1q21 genes in myeloma, we identified ILF2 as a modulator of the DNA repair pathway, which promotes adaptive responses to genotoxic stress. Thus, ILF2 may have clinical utility as a biomarker of aggressive myeloma and blocking the ILF2-mediated repair signaling may enhance the effectiveness of current DNA-damaging agent-based therapies. We are seeking to determine the feasibility of therapeutically targeting ILF2 with antisense nucleotides and identify DNA repair effectors whose loss of function induces synthetic lethality in ILF2-depleted myeloma.

Project Term: July 1, 2018 - June 30, 2023

We are investigating new interventions that could improve the effectiveness of CAR T-cell therapy for lymphoma. A clinical trial will test radiation immediately followed by CAR-T. Larger lymphoma tumors are less likely to respond to CAR-T and we expect that radiation could reduce the amount of tumor, leading to improvement in responses. We will also conduct a series of trials to determine the effectiveness of vaccinations before and after CAR T cell therapy, and if anti-cancer vaccines could improve outcomes.

Project Term: January 1, 2021 - December 31, 2025

My research investigates the heterogeneity of leukemic and pre-leukemic clonal expansion to identify genes associated with leukemia relapse and genesis. Contrary to conventional studies analyzing cell mixtures, my research uniquely probes the specific cells underlying leukemia development. We expect to identify the key cellular and molecular events that drive leukemia onset and relapse. These findings will help improve diagnosis and can serve as new therapeutic targets for treating leukemia.

Project Term: July 1, 2019 - June 30, 2024

We want to understand how leukemia inhibits blood production as this is one of the main causes of death in leukemia patients. We use new microscopy techniques developed by our group to image—for the first time—all types of blood cells and how they are eradicated by leukemia cells. Identification of the mechanisms through which leukemia inhibits blood production will be the foundation for new studies to develop drugs to maintain normal blood levels and prevent death in leukemia patients.

Project Term: October 1, 2021 - September 30, 2026

Coming soon.

Project Term: July 1, 2021 - June 30, 2026

We seek to reduce the adverse cardiac effects of chemotherapy in pediatric AML patients. We are assessing markers of heart function and injury to compare two clinical strategies for prevention of chemotherapy-induced heart injury. We are also developing a tool using these markers of heart function to characterize a child’s risk for cardiac dysfunction, which is critical to guiding safe chemotherapy delivery. By reducing the toxicity of therapy on the heart we hope to optimize delivery of effective chemotherapy and contribute to long-term leukemia cure without the burden of life-threatening heart disease during survivorship.

Project Term: July 1, 2019 - June 30, 2024

Blood-forming stem cells are routinely transplanted into patients to treat blood cancers. We discovered that multiple members of the GASP (G-protein coupled receptor Associated Sorting Proteins) family inhibit the function of blood-forming stem cells during transplantation. Our goal is to determine exactly how GASP family members inhibit these critical cells in order to inform our efforts to improve the efficiency of blood stem cell transplantation.

Project Term: July 1, 2018 - June 30, 2023

My studies are in primary myelofibrosis, a blood cancer characterized by a buildup of fibrous tissue that impairs the bone marrow’s ability to produce normal blood cells. I am studying alterations in large cells in the bone marrow called megakaryocytes and exploring how changes in the bone marrow microenvironment contribute to disease progression. By knowing more about this process, we can uncover new ways to treat the disease before it progresses to a more severe phase.

Project Term: January 1, 2021 - December 31, 2023