Hematology Times
EHA 2010
Patient advocacy in clinical trials
Andras Fehervary
Though recent developments aim to improve the clinical trial process, a group of experts says much more work is necessary. At the 15th Congress of the European Hematology Association, three speakers discussed the patient-specific challenges of the clinical trial process and offered potential solutions to overcome them. The speakers attacked the issue from all sides, as each represented a different perspective: that of the clinician, the pharmaceutical industry, and the patient. ... [Read Article] EZH2 in MPNs and MDS
Thomas Ernst, MD
New research indicates mutations of the histone methyltransferase EZH2 confer poor prognosis in myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs) and myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), which suggests EZH2 acts as a tumor suppressor in myeloid malignancies. Thomas Ernst, MD, of Wessex Regional Genetics Laboratory in the United Kingdom, discussed the research that led to these conclusions at the Presidential Symposium of the 15th Congress of the European Hematology Association, which took place June 10-13 in Barcelona. ... [Read Article] New drug active across subtypes of DLBCL
Allison Berger, PhD
An investigational drug exhibits antitumor activity across multiple subtypes of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) and is more active than bortezomib, according to a preclinical study. Past research indicated the second-generation proteasome inhibitor MLN9708 is effective against lymphoma. So researchers at Millennium Pharmaceuticals, Inc., the company that manufactures MLN9708, attempted to determine the drug’s efficacy in DLBCL. ... [Read Article] New agent active in relapsed/refractory malignancies
Jennifer Brown, MD, PhD
A PI3Kd inhibitor demonstrates considerable activity in certain relapsed or refractory hematologic malignancies. Jennifer Brown, MD, PhD, of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and her fellow researchers administered CAL-101 to 106 patients with various relapsed or refractory diseases. Forty-five percent of patients had NHL, 33% had CLL, 11% had acute myeloid leukemia, and 11% of patients had multiple myeloma. “Fifty-five percent had disease refractory to their most recent prior therapy,” Dr Brown said. “And the patients had a median of 5 prior therapies, which emphasizes what a difficult patient population this was.” ... [Read Article] TKIs might hinder effects of allo-SCT in CML
Inge Jedema, PhD
Researchers have discovered a subgroup of quiescent leukemic stem cells that are resistant to tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), alloreactive T cells, and natural killer (NK) cells. This finding indicates that TKIs do not act synergistically with immunological interventions, and the agents might actually hinder the immune response of allogeneic stem cell transplant. Inge Jedema, PhD, and her colleagues at Leiden University Medical Center in the Netherlands came to these conclusions after extensive study of CD34+ chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) cells. ... [Read Article] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
