Lymphoma Research Foundation Announces Its 2008 Research Grant Recipients

Main Category: Lymphoma / Leukemia / Myeloma
Also Included In: Cancer / Oncology
Article Date: 01 Aug 2008 - 2:00 PDT

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As part of its ongoing effort to find a cure for lymphoma, the Lymphoma Research Foundation (LRF) proudly announces the 2008 Research Grant Recipients of its Post-Doctoral Fellowships and Clinical Investigator Career Development Awards, LRF's two cornerstone research programs.

The two-year Post-Doctoral Fellowships help attract the nation's best scientific talent to careers in lymphoma and allows them to pursue promising research projects under the guidance of a mentor. Applicants must be affiliated with an institution in the United States or Canada.

The Clinical Investigator Career Development Awards is a three-year program that funds training of clinicians who will participate in the development of new therapeutics and diagnostic tools for lymphoma. Clinicians will be trained to design and administer clinical trials and to take on primary responsibility for study design, protocol development, IRB (Institutional Review Board) submission, and publication.

Out of the 43 applications received in fall 2007, six Post-Doctoral Fellowships were awarded along with one Clinical Investigator Career Development Award. LRF's Scientific Advisory Board (SAB), a voluntary group of 45 renowned lymphoma experts, thoroughly reviews each application and carefully selects the projects and applicants they feel have the greatest potential. The seven research projects announced today will be initiated by early fall 2008.

"By funding such outstanding research projects, we hope to accelerate the development of successful lymphoma treatments," commented Richard I. Fisher, MD, SAB Chairman, Director of the James P. Wilmot Cancer Center, Vice President of Clinical Services, University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) and Director of the University of Rochester Medical Faculty Group (URMFG). "On behalf of the Foundation, it is my pleasure to welcome these young scientists to the LRF family."

Post-Doctoral Fellowships

Hudan Liu, MS, PhD - University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA will examine the mechanisms behind the abnormal activation of the Notch1 gene and how this influences the development of T-cell acute lymphoblastic lymphoma (T-ALL).

Alice Nemajerova, PhD - State University of New York at Stony Brook, Stony Brook, NY proposes to investigate the p73 gene and its relationship to the development of lymphoma.

Patrick Ng, PhD - Stanford University Medical School, Stanford, CA plans to develop protein therapeutics that will direct the immune system to attack cancer cells.

Steven Park, MD - Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA will investigate ways to optimize radioimmunotherapy by reducing its toxicity.

Christian Steidl, MD - BC Cancer Agency, Vancouver, Canada will use his award to help identify Hodgkin lymphoma patients that are unlikely to succeed with standard therapy through genetic analysis.

Jing Yang, MS, PhD - The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX plans to study novel antibodies capable of killing mantle cell lymphoma and to improve their effectiveness.

Clinical Investigator Career Development Award

Brian Till, MD, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA will test and improve the effectiveness of a new treatment for non-Hodgkin lymphoma which involves genetically engineering a patient's T-cells to help them recognize and kill lymphoma cells.

About the Lymphoma Research Foundation

The Lymphoma Research Foundation (LRF) is the nation's largest voluntary health organization devoted exclusively to funding lymphoma research and providing patients and healthcare professionals with critical information on the disease. LRF's mission is to eradicate lymphoma and serve those touched by this disease.

More than 85 cents of every dollar spent goes to research and programming. As of the close of FY 2007, LRF has funded over $35 million in lymphoma-specific research. LRF also provides a comprehensive series of programs and services for patients, survivors and loved ones affected by lymphoma, including our toll-free Lymphoma Helpline and Clinical Trials Information Service, in-person patient education programs, webcasts/teleconferences and support services.

Lymphoma Research Foundation