Researchers Identify Genetic Defects That Cause Main Types Of Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma, Paving The Way For Potential New Targeted Therapies

Main Category: Lymphoma / Leukemia / Myeloma
Also Included In: Cancer / Oncology
Article Date: 27 May 2006 - 0:00 PDT

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Researchers will report on the discovery of genetic defects that cause particular types of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), making these genes rational targets for new anti-lymphoma treatments, in the next issue of Blood.

Researchers have found that defects in one gene (TCL1) can cause particular types of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. A team at the University of California Los Angeles, led by Michael Teitell, M.D., Ph.D., and collaborators at Harvard Medical School, The Rockefeller University and the National Institutes of Health have been studying this gene and its role in the development of B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (B-NHL), and will publish their findings in the journal Blood.

Using cancer cell samples from lymphoma patients, Dr. Teitell and his colleagues discovered that abnormal TCL1 expression is a frequent abnormality in B-NHL. The researchers then engineered mice to aberrantly express the TCL1 gene and those mice developed B-NHLs at a very high rate, within the germinal centers of lymphoid tissues, such as lymph nodes and the spleen, where B cells normally develop.

Further, the researchers determined that these lymphomas only arise when the TCL1 abnormalities are accompanied by companion genetic defects. The researchers identified several of these, including the Myc oncogene, already known to play a role in causing lymphoma.

This finding is consistent with our current understanding that cancer usually involves defects in more than one critical gene, including defects that activate cancer-causing genes (oncogenes) like TCL1 and defects that inactivate cancer-preventing genes (tumor suppressors).

The researchers will next determine which molecular defects that occur in mouse lymphomas also occur in human lymphomas. The researchers anticipate that one or more newly identified molecules will emerge as valid targets for safe and effective targeted therapies for NHL patients.

The information can also be used to design improved tests for the diagnosis and classification of NHLs so that patients can receive the best possible individualized treatment.

"We are hopeful that these findings will lead to the further development of targeted therapies for certain NHL patients while producing fewer side effects than standard therapies," Dr. Teitell said.

Dr. Teitell is the recipient of a Scholar award from The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society -- a program that provides funding to highly qualified investigators who have demonstrated over a period of not less than five years his or her ability to conduct original research on leukemia, lymphoma or myeloma.

"The goal of the Scholar program is to help advance promising original research with the potential to have the highest impact on blood cancers," said Deborah Banker, the Society's Vice President for Research Communications. "Dr. Teitell's research shows great promise in leading to more effective treatments for NHL patients."

Dr. Teitell said that the Society's support was fundamental in moving his research forward.

"I am truly grateful to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society for having confidence in our work and providing our group with this funding," he said. "I am optimistic that our efforts will improve the outcomes for NHL patients."

About The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society(R), headquartered in White Plains, NY, with 66 chapters in the United States and Canada, is the world's largest voluntary health organization dedicated to funding blood cancer research and providing education and patient services. The Society's mission: Cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families. Since its founding in 1949, the Society has invested more than $424 million in research specifically targeting leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma. Last year alone, the Society made 2.5 million contacts with patients, caregivers and healthcare professionals.

For more information about blood cancer, visit http://www.LLS.org or call the Society's Information Resource Center (IRC), a call center staffed by master's level social workers, nurses and health educators who provide information, support and resources to patients and their families and caregivers.

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
http://www.LLS.org