TOP STORY Nearby Bone Cells May Trigger Some Blood Cancers Certain blood cancers may be triggered by signals sent from surrounding bone cells, not by individual cells going bad, and interrupting those signals may offer a new approach to treating leukemia. [Press release from Reuters discussing the online prepublication in Nature]
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SCIENCE NEWS Caltech-Led Team Provides Proof in Humans of RNA Interference Using Targeted Nanoparticles A California Institute of Technology (Caltech)-led team of researchers and clinicians has published the first proof that a targeted nanoparticle, used as an experimental therapeutic and injected directly into a patient’s bloodstream, can traffic into tumors, deliver double-stranded small interfering RNAs, and turn off an important cancer gene using a mechanism known as RNA interference. [Press release from The California Institute of Technology discussing the online prepublication in Nature] Newly-Identified Growth Factor Promotes Stem Cell Growth, Regeneration Scientists have identified a new growth factor that stimulates the expansion and regeneration of hematopoietic stem cells in culture and in laboratory animals. [Press release from The Duke University Medical Center discussing the online prepublication in Nature Medicine]
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CURRENT PUBLICATIONS LABORATORY RESEARCH Bone Progenitor Dysfunction Induces Myelodysplasia and Secondary Leukaemia By examining how mesenchymal osteolineage cells modulate hematopoiesis, here researchers show that deletion of Dicer1 specifically in mouse osteoprogenitors, but not in mature osteoblasts, disrupts the integrity of hematopoiesis. [Nature] Evidence of RNAi in Humans from Systemically Administered siRNA via Targeted Nanoparticles Data demonstrate that siRNA administered systemically to a human can produce a specific gene inhibition (reduction in mRNA and protein) by an RNAi mechanism of action. [Nature] Pleiotrophin Regulates the Expansion and Regeneration of Hematopoietic Stem Cells Researchers show that pleiotrophin, a neurite outgrowth factor with no known function in hematopoiesis, efficiently promotes hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) expansion in vitro and HSC regeneration in vivo . [Nat Med] Functionally Distinct Hematopoietic Stem Cells Modulate Hematopoietic Lineage Potential During Aging by A Mechanism of Clonal Expansion Researchers present data supporting a model in which clonal expansion of a class of intrinsically myeloid-biased hematopoietic stem cells with robust self-renewal potential is a central component of hematopoietic aging. [Proc Natl Acad Sci USA] Wilms’ Tumor Gene 1 Protein Represses the Expression of the Tumor Suppressor Interferon Regulatory Factor 8 in Human Hematopoietic Progenitors and in Leukemic Cells In this study, researchers show that overexpression of BCR/ABL1 in CD34+ progenitor cells leads to reduced expression of interferon regulatory factor 8, in addition to increased WT1 expression. [Leukemia] SHIP1 Inhibition Increases Immunoregulatory Capacity and Triggers Apoptosis of Hematopoietic Cancer Cells Genetic studies revealed that SHIP1 limits blood cell production and immune regulatory cell numbers in vivo. Researchers postulated that molecular targeting of SHIP1 might enhance blood cell production and increase immunoregulatory capacity. [J Immunol] Polycomb Repressive Complex 2 (PRC2) Restricts Hematopoietic Stem Cell Activity Using mice with an N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea (ENU)-induced mutation in Suppressor of Zeste 12 (Suz12), a core component of Polycomb Repressive Complex 2 (PRC2), researchers show here that loss of Suz12 function enhances hematopoietic stem cell activity. [PLoS ONE] A New Alpha5Beta1 Integrin-Dependent Survival Pathway Through GSK3Beta Activation in Leukemic Cells Researchers show that in conditions of serum starvation, the fibronectin receptor Alpha5Beta1 integrin, but not Alpha4Beta1, induced activation of GSK3Beta through Ser-9 dephosphorylation in adherent U937 cells. [PLoS ONE] Runx1 Isoforms Show Differential Expression Patterns During Hematopoietic Development But Have Similar Functional Effects in Adult Hematopoietic Stem Cells RUNX1 (also known as acute myeloid leukemia 1) is an essential regulator of hematopoiesis and has multiple isoforms arising from differential splicing and utilization of two promoters. Researchers hypothesized that the rare Runx1c isoform has a distinct role in hematopoietic stem cells. [Exp Hematol] CLINICAL RESEARCH Relapse and Late Mortality in 5-Year Survivors of Myeloablative Allogeneic Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation for Chronic Myeloid Leukemia in First Chronic Phase Recipients of allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation for chronic myeloid leukemia in first chronic phase who remain in remission for at least 5 years have favorable subsequent long-term survival, and their mortality rates eventually approach those of the general population. [J Clin Oncol] Gene Expression-Based Classification As an Independent Predictor of Clinical Outcome in Juvenile Myelomonocytic Leukemia Gene expression, based classification identifies two groups of patients with juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia with distinct prognosis outperforming all known clinical parameters in terms of prognostic relevance. Gene expression-based classification could thus be prospectively used to guide clinical/therapeutic decisions. [J Clin Oncol] Comparison of Donor Chimerism Following Myeloablative and Nonmyeloablative Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant This study compares the timing of donor hematopoietic cell engraftment in patients undergoing nonmyeloablative conditioning with fludarabine and TBI with those receiving myeloablative conditioning with BU- or TBI-based regimens. [Bone Marrow Transplant]
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INDUSTRY NEWS The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and FORMA Therapeutics Enter a Drug Discovery Alliance to Discover and Develop Novel Therapies For Patients with Diffuse Large B Cell Lymphoma The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) and FORMA Therapeutics, Inc., announced they have begun a partnership to discover and develop small molecule compounds against a key lymphoma target, Bcl-6. [FORMA Therapeutics, Inc. Press Release] StemCells, Inc. Granted Broad Patent for Pluripotent Rat Stem Cells and Genetically Engineered Rats StemCells, Inc. announced that the United Kingdom Intellectual Property Office has granted patent number GB2451523 with broad claims covering true (germline competent) rat stem cells and genetically engineered rats derived from these cells. [StemCells, Inc. Press Release] Spectrum Pharmaceuticals Announces a National Cancer Institute-Sponsored Phase I/II Study of Belinostat in Thymic Malignancies Spectrum Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced that the first patient has been dosed in a National Cancer Institute (NCI)-sponsored Phase I/II trial of belinostat in combination with cisplatin, doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide in the first line treatment of advanced or recurrent thymic malignancies. [Spectrum Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Press Release]
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POLICY NEWS Obama Signs Landmark Health Bill Into Law President Barack Obama capped a yearlong political drama, signing into law a landmark health care reform bill that had been seen as impossible just two months ago. [MSNBC, United States] HHS Announces Additional $162 Million in Recovery Act Investment to Advance Widespread Meaningful Use of Health IT U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced awards to help states facilitate health information exchange and advance health information technology. [The Department of Health and Human Services, United States] Instructions for Completion and Peer Review of the Vertebrate Animal Section in NIH Grant Applications and Cooperative Agreements (NOT-OD-10-027) [National Institutes of Health, United States] Recovery Act: Update on American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Quarterly Reporting Requirements for Non-Competing Continuation Awards and Relinquished Projects; and Guidance to Avoid Common Errors (NOT-OD-10-065) [National Institutes of Health, United States] Recovery Act: Reminders on Annual Reporting Requirements and Notice of Revised Financial Closeout Requirements for American Recovery and Reinvestment Act-Funded Administrative Supplements and Competitive Revisions (NOT-OD-10-066) [National Institutes of Health, United States] Recovery Act: Notice on the Proper Management of Recovery Act Spending to Promote Job Creation and Increase the Pace of Scientific Research; and Policy Limiting Second No-Cost Extensions to Recovery Act Grants (NOT-OD-10-067) [National Institutes of Health, United States] Request for Comments on Proposed NIH, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and Center of Disease Control Process Change for Electronic Submission of Grant Applications (NOT-OD-10-068) [National Institutes of Health, United States] Amended NIH Policy on Submission of Late Grant Application Materials Prior to Initial Peer Review (NOT-OD-10-070) [National Institutes of Health, United States] Modification: This Notice modifies RFA-RM-10-001 (NOT-RM-10-005) [National Institutes of Health, United States] Modification to RFA-RM-09-019: Institutional Clinical and Translational Science Award (U54) (NOT-RM-10-006) [National Institutes of Health, United States] April 12, 2010: Blood Products Advisory Committee Meeting Announcement [Food and Drug Administration, United States] Blood Products Advisory Committee; Notice of Meeting [Food and Drug Administration, United States]
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EVENTS
12th Biennial Canadian Blood and Marrow Transplant Group (CBMTG) Conference April 7-10, 2010 Vancouver, Canada American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) 101st Annual Meeting 2010 April 17-21, 2010 Washington, DC, United States International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) 8th Annual Meeting June 16-19, 2010 San Francisco, United States XXXIst International Congress of the International Society of Blood Transfusion (ISBT) in joint cooperation with the 43rd Congress of the German Society for Transfusion Medicine and Immunohematology (DGTI) June 26-July 1, 2010 Berlin, Germany Society for Hematology and Stem Cells (ISEH) 2010 Meeting September 15-18, 2010 Melbourne, Australia American Association of Blood Banks (AABB) Annual Meeting 2010 October 9-12, 2010 Baltimore, United States 52nd American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting and Exposition December 4-7, 2010 Orlando, United States Visit our events page to stay up to date with the latest events in the cell, gene and immunotherapy community.
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