Who We Fund

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

Washington University in St. Louis

John F. DiPersio MD, PhD is the Golman Professor of Medicine and Director of The Center for Gene and Cellular Immunotherapy at the Washington University School of Medicine. His research has focused on targeting key elements of the hematopoietic niche for optimal stem cell mobilization and chemosensitization, mitigating GvHD in T cell replete transplants, understanding the genomic alterations in AML, and developing and testing in the clinic novel therapeutics and immuno-therapeutics, including cellular therapies, for the treatment of AML, ALL, T/B-NHL and multiple myeloma. Dr. DiPersio was instrumental in the development and FDA approval of Plerixafor, Motixafortide, and Ruxolitinib. He is the recipient of multiple awards and was past president of the ASTCT and member of the NCI Board of Scientific Counselors. He has authored or co-authored more than 490 publications, is a co-founder of two companies (WUGEN and Magenta) and holds multiple patents.

Program Name(s)

Translational Research Program

Project Title

KT1, a novel NK trispecific antibody for the treatment of AML and MDS

The University of Chicago

Dr. Megan McNerney, MD/PhD, is an Associate Professor in the Departments of Pathology and Pediatrics at The University of Chicago. She is a cancer genomicist and physician-scientist investigating how genetic changes alter normal hematopoiesis and drive malignancy. She also serves as an Attending in the Genomic and Molecular Pathology clinical laboratory. Dr. McNerney leads a team of 14 scientists interrogating the pathogenesis of loss of chromosome 7 and CUX1 in high-risk myeloid malignancies. She has published 34 manuscripts, many in top-tier journals. Mentoring and education are among her most meaningful roles, and the majority of her trainees have remained in biomedical research after leaving the lab. She is also dedicated to promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion in all aspects of her scholarship. Dr. McNerney has received numerous honors, including the LLS Fellow Award and the LLS, Illinois Chapter Researcher of the Year.

Program Name(s)

Career Development Program

Project Title

Genomic interrogation of high-risk myeloid neoplasms to identify new therapies

Weill Cornell Medicine

Dr. Wendy Béguelin is a basic and translational research scientist working in the field of lymphoma epigenetics. She obtained her degree of Biology at the University of Buenos Aires, Argentina, where she received extensive training in the investigation of cell biology and signal transduction with studies on epigenetic gene regulation and transcription factor binding. As a postdoctoral scientist at Weill Cornell Medical College, under the mentorship of Prof. Ari Melnick she has identified novel epigenetic and transcriptional mechanisms that contribute to B-cell differentiation and lymphomagenesis. She has studied the biological and transcriptional mechanisms of action of Polycomb proteins in germinal center B-cells and lymphomas derived from germinal centers. As Assistant Professor at Weill Cornell Medicine, Dr. Béguelin is committed to a career in basic/translational cancer research, bringing new ideas into the field of epigenetic control of lymphomagenesis and making discoveries that can be translated from the diagnostic and therapeutic standpoints.

Program Name(s)

Translational Research Program

Project Title

Discovery and therapeutic targeting of novel mechanisms driving Double Hit Lymphomas

TAP Partner

Immunitas is a single cell genomics-based therapeutics company focused on immunology that is advancing multiple programs to the clinic. Immunitas’ programs are derived from their platform, a cross-functional, highly integrated, single cell genomics approach that enables rapid target identification and validation in parallel with antibody discovery and engineering.

Program Name(s)

Therapy Acceleration Program

A phase 1/2 study of IMT-009, an antibody targeting CD161, in patients with advanced solid tumors or lymphomas

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

I am a clinical-translational researcher focusing on new treatments for lymphomas with a particular focus on T-cell/cutaneous lymphomas. Since entering the field of hematology/oncology, I have been drawn to the study of lymphoma and the care of patients facing lymphoma given how varied these conditions are and the major unmet needs that exist. In my clinical practice, I see patients and caregivers navigating these diseases, treatments, and side effects, and this stimulates me to pursue advancements in my research endeavors. My overarching goals are to bridge laboratory investigations with work done in clinical trials towards ultimately improving and refining our therapeutic approaches for these challenging diseases.

Program Name(s)

Academic Clinical Trials Program (ACT)

Project Title

Targeting mutant IDH2 in angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma

Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania

Dr. Carroll is a physician scientist who has been studying leukemia biology for 3 decades.  Until recently Dr. Carroll saw patients with blood cancers at the Philadelphia Veterans Administration Hospital but is now focused solely on research to improve therapy for AML. He has performed that research at the Univeristy of Pennsylvania since 1998.  Dr. Carroll has had a long term commitment to building tools to enhance the understanding of human AML.  These tools have included development of a large tissue bank of patient samples. He has also lead the field in development and application of the study of AML in immunocompromised mice.  His work in xenograft AML models lead to the characterization of chemotherapy resistance as not always being dependent on leukemic stem cells but on metabolic adaptations of the cells to chemotherapy.  Dr. Carroll has been involved in development of previous novel therapies for AML and continues to focus on developing safer and more effective treatments.

Program Name(s)

Specialized Center of Research Program

Project Title

Precision Targeting of Metabolism and Mitochondria for Chemotherapy Resistance in Acute Myeloid Leukemia

Emory University

Dr. Jonathon Cohen is an associate professor of hematology/oncology at Emory University and co-directs the lymphoma program at Winship Cancer Institute. He has developed and implemented studies conducted at sites throughout the US and frequently collaborates with colleagues throughout Georgia to offer trials to patients with lymphoma. He is a member of the ECOG-ACRIN Lymphoma Core Committee, Co-Chair of the Hoosier Cancer Research Network Lymphoma Committee, and Co-Chair of the Lymphoma Disease Focus Group of the NCI-funded Experimental Therapeutics Clinical Trials Network Consortium. He also leads national studies evaluating real-world outcomes in lymphoma. He has an active clinical practice providing consultative services for patients throughout Georgia. He has routinely engaged with oncologists throughout the region to promote quality lymphoma care through in-person and virtual educational talks, and through moderation of protocol sessions to develop treatment guidelines.

Program Name(s)

IMPACT

Project Title

Making an IMPACT on hematology care in Georgia: The Georgia Blood Cancer Trials Network (BCTN)

University of California San Diego

Dr. Su is Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Science in the Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility at the University of California, San Diego, where she directs the Oncofertility Program. Dr. Su completed residency in obstetrics and gynecology, fellowship in reproductive endocrinology, and Master’s of Science in Clinical Epidemiology at the University of Pennsylvania, as well as implementation science training through NCI’s Training in Dissemination and Implementation Research in Cancer Program. Dr. Su is a physician scientist who conducts patient oriented research on reproductive health in young cancer survivors. Through innovative observational and interventional studies, team-based science, and community engagement, Dr. Su’s studies focus on estimating reproductive risks after cancer, implementing evidence-based practices, and improving equity in reproductive health care delivery, funded by NCI, NICHD, American Cancer Society, and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Recent work on health policies as an intervention to improve access to care suggest that state-level fertility preservation benefit mandates are not working as intended. This team with existing collaborations and complementary methodologic and clinical expertise will use national administrative data to estimate the impact of mandated insurance benefits on fertility preservation utilization and affordability, in order to inform future federal and state laws and regulations.

Program Name(s)

Equity in Access

Project Title

Impact of State Health Insurance Mandates on Affordability and Utilization of Fertility Preservation in Adolescent and Young Adults with Blood Cancers

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

Nika Danial is an Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and the Department of Cancer Biology at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, where she Co-Directs the T32 Training Program in Cancer Chemical Biology and Metabolism. She received a B.S. degree in Biological Sciences from Stanford University, and a Ph.D. in Molecular, Cellular and Biophysical Studies from Columbia University. Her postdoctoral studies with the late Stanley J. Korsmeyer focused on the role of BCL-2 family proteins in mitochondrial apoptosis, where she discovered a molecular link between cell survival/death regulatory pathways and metabolism. Dr. Danial’s lab studies fundamental aspects of metabolic biology, including causes and consequences of cellular nutrient utilization patterns and metabolic signals that shape cell fate, function, and stress responses. This research has led to advances in metabolic mechanisms that link nutrient signaling to diseases such as cancer and diabetes.

Program Name(s)

Discovery

Project Title

Lipid-dependent regulation of oncogenic signaling in DLBCL growth and therapeutic response

Cleveland Clinic

Paolo Caimi is a physician and clinical investigator at the Cleveland Clinic, where he is also the Associate Bone Marrow Transplant Director for Cellular Therapy. Dr. Caimi completed his medical training at the Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile in Santiago, Chile. He finished residency at Johns Hopkins University / Sinai Hospital Residency Program in Internal Medicine followed by a hematology and oncology fellowship at Case Western Reserve University. His clinical focus is on the care of patients with lymphoid malignancies and his research is centered around early phase trials, with an emphasis on phase I trials of cellular therapy.

Program Name(s)

Academic Clinical Trials Program (ACT)

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

Dr. Letai is a Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. He began his studies in apoptosis and hematologic malignancies as a post-doctoral fellow in the laboratory of Dr. Stanley Korsmeyer. He then started his own laboratory at Dana-Farber in 2005 and became an LLS Scholar in 2008. His studies in understanding how BCL-2 family members regulate the cell death pathway of apoptosis were instrumental in the translation of the BCL-2 inhibitor venetoclax to the clinic, where it is now FDA approved for the treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML). His laboratory has been investigating how immune cells used in cancer immunotherapy use apoptosis pathways to kill cancer cells, and how increasing apoptosis signaling in cancer cells might benefit immunotherapy. He is also investigating how reducing apoptosis signaling in immune cells used for immunotherapy might make them work better in cancer patients.

Program Name(s)

Discovery

Project Title

Interrogating T-cell apoptotic priming to improve CAR-T persistence in treatment of lymphoid malignancies