Funding from Blood Cancer United can lead to scientific breakthroughs that will improve and save the lives of patients.
The Blood Cancer United Research Team oversees the organization's research strategy to support cutting-edge research for every type of blood cancer, including leukemia, lymphoma, and myeloma.
Take a look at all the currently active, extraordinary Blood Cancer United-funded research projects.
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Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania
This proposal seeks to develop for the first time in humans a novel CD5 knocked out (KO) anti-CD5 chimeric antigen receptor T cell (CART) product for patients with relapsed or refractory T-cell lymphomas. In Aim#1, we will generate and test a clinical-grade CD5 KO CART5 product, and in Aim#2, we will perform a phase I clinical trial. This project is highly relevant to those parts of the LLS's mission that pertain to the development of personalized and novel therapies for cancer treatment.
Project Term: July 1, 2022 - June 30, 2025
University of British Columbia
Our team is the first to develop a polyomic pediatric cGvHD biomarker test for assessing the risk of developing cGvHD. A cooperative adult phase III clinical trial, CTTC1901, between Canada and Australia, focused on decreasing cGvHD (N=350 patients), offers an ideal opportunity to validate adult cGvHD biomarkers. This proposal will utilize the pediatric polyomic approach to validate a cGvHD risk assignment and diagnostic algorithm in adult hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT).
Project Term: July 1, 2022 - June 30, 2025
The University of New South Wales
T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) is an aggressive malignancy that is exceptionally difficult to cure after relapse. We have previously shown that T-ALL expresses high levels of the enzyme AKR1C3, leading to clinical trials of AKR1C3-activated prodrugs. This project will focus on identifying the determinants of responses to AKR1C3-activated prodrugs in T-ALL and optimizing the use of a second generation AKR1C3-activated prodrug, SN36008, in T-ALL patient-derived xenografts.
Project Term: July 1, 2022 - June 30, 2025
The University of Melbourne
In recent work of our collaborating labs, the protein acetyltransferases P300 and CBP emerged as potent and preferential dependencies for multiple myeloma (MM) based on genetic depletion, catalytic inhibition or chemical degradation studies. Our current project will define distinct vs. redundant molecular and biological functions of P300/CBP in MM, identify the mechanisms of resistance to their inhibition/degradation and exploit these findings to develop new therapeutic modalities to treat MM.
Project Term: July 1, 2022 - June 30, 2025
The University of Melbourne
Despite the promise of CAR-T cell immunotherapy for patients with lymphoma and multiple myeloma, a significant proportion of patients fail to respond or relapse following treatment. This project will focus on the clinical translation of a new treatment designed to improve durable response rates by combining CAR-T cell therapy with a new class of anticancer drugs called SMAC-mimetics. The results will provide the evidence base to drive a first-in-human clinical trial of this combination strategy.
Project Term: July 1, 2022 - June 30, 2025
The University of Alabama at Birmingham
Evolving insights into the B cell-restricted FCRL1 surface protein reveal that it integrates with critical signaling pathways and is a promising immunotherapeutic target in CLL. Based on preclinical evaluation of novel FCRL1 monoclonal antibodies, we propose developing chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells for targeting in unique mouse models and patient-derived cells. The results will form the basis for strategic drug development and clinical testing in CLL and related B cell malignancies.
Project Term: July 1, 2022 - June 30, 2025
The University of Alabama at Birmingham
The proposed studies will identify alterations in hematopoietic regulation that predict for risk for therapy-related myeloid neoplasm (TMN) and improve understanding of disease evolution to guide strategies to prevent TMN in patients receiving autologous hematopoietic cell transplantation (aHCT) for lymphoma. They will investigate alterations in hematopoietic function in peripheral blood stem cell used for aHCT, and serial evolution of hematopoietic defects leading to development of TMN.
Project Term: July 1, 2022 - June 30, 2025
The University of Adelaide
Myelofibrosis is a severe myeloproliferative neoplasm with no known cure. We have obtained unique insights into the underlying mechanisms responsible for the emergence of myelofibrosis and designed new approaches to selectively control it. By combining our mutation-specific isolation methods with single cell sequencing, we will identify myelofibrosis-initiating stem cell populations, demonstrate efficacy of stem cell targeting and enumerate residual normal stem cells to inform a Phase I/II trial.
Project Term: July 1, 2022 - June 30, 2025
Columbia University Medical Center
Multiple myeloma is an incurable blood cancer complicated by bone diseases and compromised immune system. Our work indicated that checkpoint inhibitor PD-1H(VISTA) functions as the MMP-13 receptor, and the MMP-13/PD-1H signaling axis plays a critical role in multiple myeloma induced bone disease and immunosuppression. Therefore, immunotherapy targeting the novel MMP-13/PD-1H interaction module represents a novel approach to cure this devastating cancer.
Project Term: July 1, 2022 - June 30, 2025
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
Extremely low dose radiation can improve blood cancer outcomes. But the mechanisms of how sublethal radiation (SRT) affects tumors, the microenvironment and immune system remain unclear. We envision a broad, nuanced role for SRT with benefits across diverse clinical situations and propose 3 clinical trials with deep translational components. Each can be paradigm-changing, but are thematically unified to improve mechanistic understanding of how such exceptionally small doses might offer so much.
Project Term: July 1, 2022 - June 30, 2025
University of Michigan
Leukemia patients with chromosomal translocations of the Nucleoporin (NUP98) gene suffer from very poor prognosis. In this project we will identify new treatment for these patients by combining menin inhibitor with FDA approved drugs. We will evaluate effectiveness, mechanism of action and biomarkers of treatment response to these combinations in advanced pre-clinical models of NUP98 leukemia. We expect these studies will lead to future clinical trials in AML patients with NUP98 translocations.
Project Term: July 1, 2022 - June 30, 2025
Institute of Biomedical Research from Salamanca
The present project will investigate the ability of quantitative immune precipitation mass spectrometry (QIP-MS) to anticipate relapsed or progressive disease in peripheral blood samples from patients with multiple myeloma. In the context of the GEM2014MAIN trial (lenalidomide and dexamethasone plus or minus ixazomib as maintenance), we will assess the presence of disease by QIP-MS in parallel with conventional methods in serum and next generation flow in bone marrow samples.
Project Term: July 1, 2022 - June 30, 2025
Who We Fund
Learn more about the inspiring blood cancer scientists we support—and leading biotech companies we partner with— who are working to find cures and help blood cancer patients live longer, better lives.
Research Grants
We award grants for studies that range from basic blood cancer research to pioneering clinical trials. For more than seventy years, Blood Cancer United support has been instrumental in the development of the vast majority of breakthroughs in blood cancer treatment.
Therapy Acceleration Program ®(TAP)
TAP is a mission-driven, strategic venture philanthropy initiative that seeks to accelerate the development of innovative blood cancer therapeutics and change the standard of care while also generating a return on investment for the Blood Cancer United mission. TAP collaborates with biotech companies to support the development of novel platforms, first-in-class assets addressing high unmet medical needs, emerging patient populations, and orphan indications.