$1.5 million award supports development of potential new cancer treatments
DUARTE, Calif., March 20, 2008 -- Researchers from City of Hope and the California Institute of Technology have been awarded a three-year, $1.5 million grant from the W. M. Keck Foundation to continue a collaborative study investigating the molecular mechanisms underlying lymphoma and developing targeted, less-toxic treatments for the disease based on short interfering RNA (siRNA) technology that can inhibit the protein products of specific genes. The W. M. Keck Foundation previously funded the first phase of the lymphoma study in 2006
with a one-year, $450,000 pilot grant.
Lymphoma is a cancer that develops in the immune system and represents the fifth most common type of cancer in the United States. Even though control of the disease is possible through current standard treatment with radiation and chemotherapy, relapse is common and more effective therapies are needed. Researchers began testing a novel compound comprised of a polymer created by Caltech researcher
Mark Davis, Ph.D., and an engineered antibody developed at City of Hope to see if it could attack only lymphoma cells without disturbing healthy cells. Such targeted, less invasive therapies also may help lessen the side effects many patients experience with standard treatment.
“Collaborative studies with institutions like Caltech allow great scientific minds to share information and open doors to innovative discoveries in the battle against cancer,” said Michael A. Friedman, M.D., president and chief executive officer, City of Hope. “The generosity of the W.M. Keck Foundation will enable more advanced research to develop better treatments for lymphoma patients that also may prove potent against other types of cancer.”
The multi-disciplinary team is targeting the polymers (molecules that do not stimulate the immune system and have very low toxicity) directly into the cancer cells. Once inside, they deliver their payload of siRNA that disrupts the genetic coding in cancer cells to either kill them or render them incapable of multiplying. Several known genes in the tumors’ DNA have been targeted and the researchers also plan to identify new genetic targets.
“We have been able to gain a better understanding of lymphoma though our research with Caltech, and have identified targets for potential new lymphoma therapies,” said
Stephen Forman, M.D., the Francis and Kathleen McNamara Distinguished Chair in Hematology and
Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation at City of Hope and principal investigator of the study. “There is a real need for improved treatments because not all lymphoma patients are able to tolerate chemotherapy and radiation. Our older patients, in particular, would greatly benefit from new targeted therapies.”
Forman leads a team of investigators comprised of Caltech researchers – Davis, Warren and Katharine Schlinger Professor of Chemical Engineering; Scott Fraser, Ph.D., Anna L. Rosen Professor of Biology and Professor of Bioengineering and director of the Brain Imaging Center – as well as City of Hope researchers –
John Rossi, Ph.D., Lidow Family Research Chair in the Division of Molecular Biology;
Andrew Raubitschek, M.D., chair of the Division of Cancer Immunotherapeutics & Tumor Immunology;
David Colcher, Ph.D., deputy director, Department of Radioimmunotherapy Research;
Richard Jove, Ph.D., director, Beckman Research Institute, and
Hua Yu, Ph.D., professor, Division of Cancer Immunotherapeutics & Tumor Immunology.
City of Hope’s Division of Hematology & Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation has been a leader in the development of stem cell transplantation for the treatment of lymphoma, and also a leader in the development of new immune-based and novel chemotherapy for the treatment of lymphoma.
Based in Los Angeles, the W. M. Keck Foundation was established in 1954 by the late W.M. Keck, founder of the Superior Oil Company. The Foundation’s grant making is focused primarily on pioneering efforts in the areas of medical research, science and engineering.
About City of Hope
City of Hope is a leading research and treatment center for cancer, diabetes and other life-threatening diseases. Designated as a Comprehensive Cancer Center, the highest honor bestowed by the National Cancer Institute, and a founding member of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, City of Hope's research and treatment protocols advance care throughout the nation. City of Hope is located in Duarte, Calif., just northeast of Los Angeles, and is ranked as one of “America’s Best Hospitals” in cancer and urology by U.S.News & World Report. Founded in 1913, City of Hope is a pioneer in the fields of bone marrow transplantation and genetics. For more information, visit
www.cityofhope.org.
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