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2002 MMRF Collaborative Program Grant
$1.5 million grant awarded to Johns Hopkins University researchers
The Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF), the world's largest private funder of myeloma-specific research, is pleased to announce that a team of researchers from The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine is the recipient of its 2002 Collaborative Program Grant. The grant, which provides $1.5 million to researchers over a 3-year period, is designed to foster unique collaborations among researchers and institutions to help bring new therapies to clinic quickly.
The principal investigators are:
$1.5 million grant awarded to Johns Hopkins University researchers
The Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF), the world's largest private funder of myeloma-specific research, is pleased to announce that a team of researchers from The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine is the recipient of its 2002 Collaborative Program Grant. The grant, which provides $1.5 million to researchers over a 3-year period, is designed to foster unique collaborations among researchers and institutions to help bring new therapies to clinic quickly.
The principal investigators are:
Ivan M. Borello, MD
Ephraim Fuchs, MD
Richard Jones, MD
Hyam I. Levitsky, MD
Leo Luznik, MD
William Matsui, MD
Project Summary
Immune recognition of multiple myeloma is evident from animal models and analysis of patient samples. Indeed, remissions induced by allogeneic lymphocytes highlight the anti-tumor immune response as the only therapy currently capable of fully eradicating the malignant clone. This project focuses on three critical aspects of myeloma biology and the anti-myeloma immune response, and each seeks to augment the therapeutic efficacy and specificity of the response.
- Project 1, led by Drs. Levitsky and Borello, builds upon preliminary studies of marrow infiltrating lymphocytes (MILs) obtained from patients in our ongoing myeloma tumor-cell based vaccine trial. The frequency, avidity, and function of myeloma-specific T-cells within this population will be examined, and strategies for the ex vivo expansion of such cells will be optimized for use in adoptive immunotherapy.
- Project 2, led by Drs. Jones and Matsui, studies the phenotype and antigenic profile of myeloma progenitor cells, which are the ultimate target for any curative therapy.
- Project 3, led by Drs. Fuchs and Luznik, examines the relative efficacy of allogeneic and post-transplant vaccine induced tumor-specific immunity as well as the role of host and donor T cells in anti-tumor immunity after non-myeloablative allogeneic bone marrow transplant for multiple myeloma.
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Grant Recipients
• 2002 Collaborative Grant
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