Hematopoiesis News Volume 1.01 | Jan 19 2010

First Successful Use of Expanded Umbilical Cord Blood Units to Treat Leukemia
Scientists have cleared a major technical hurdle to making umbilical cord blood transplants a more widely-used method for treating leukemia and other blood cancers. [Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle]

Researchers at BC Cancer Agency Identify One of the Most Frequently Mutated Single Genes in the Fastest Growing Cancer in North America
Scientists have discovered a never before seen DNA spelling mistake, or mutation, in a gene called EZH2 in diffuse large B cell lymphoma and follicular lymphoma, the two most common types of non-Hodgkins lymphoma. [BC Cancer Agency, Vancouver]

New Finding in Cell Migration May Be Key to Preventing Clots, Cancer Spread
Researchers have discovered how cells in the body flatten out as they adhere to internal bodily surfaces, the first step in a wide range of important processes including clot formation, immune defense, wound healing, and the spread of cancer cells. [University of Illinois, Chicago]

Drug that Modifies Gene Activity Could Help some Older Leukemia Patients
Older patients with acute myeloid leukemia might benefit from a drug that reactivates genes that cancer cells turn off. [Washington University, St. Louis]

Treating Anaemia in Patients with Kidney Disease
Erythropoiesis-stimulating agents may be warranted for certain chronic kidney disease patients who have severe anaemia and need frequent blood transfusions or who are candidates for a kidney transplant. [Harvard University, Boston]

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LABORATORY RESEARCH

Epigenetic Chromatin States Uniquely Define the Developmental Plasticity of Murine Hematopoietic Stem Cells
Heritable epigenetic signatures are proposed to serve as an important regulatory mechanism in lineage fate determination. To investigate this, researchers profiled chromatin modifications in murine hematopoietic stem cells, lineage-restricted progenitors, and CD4+ T cells using modified genome-scale mini-chromatin immunoprecipitation technology. [Blood]

Haploinsufficiency of Apc Leads to Ineffective Hematopoiesis
This study shows that the conditional inactivation of a single allele of Apc in mice leads to the development of severe anemia with macrocytosis and monocytosis. [Blood]

The Downregulation of Onzin Expression by PKC(epsilon)-ERK2 Signaling and its Potential Role in Acute Myeloid Leukemia Cell Differentiation
Researchers provide the first demonstration that onzin expression is significantly downregulated during differentiation induction of acute myeloid leukemic cell lines and primary cells by all-trans retinoic acid and especially by phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate. [Leukemia]

Development and Function of Myeloid-Derived Suppressor Cells Generated from Mouse Embryonic and Hematopoietic Stem Cells
Functional myeloid-derived suppressor cells can be efficiently generated from mouse embryonic stem cells and bone marrow hematopoietic stem cells. [Stem Cells]

Wnt Signaling in Hematopoiesis: Crucial Factors for Self-Renewal, Proliferation, and Cell Fate Decisions
While in the thymus Wnt signaling provides cytokine-like, proliferative stimuli to developing thymocytes, canonical Wnt signaling in hematopoietic stem cells regulates cells fate decisions, in particular self-renewal versus differentiation. [J Cell Biochem]

Rac1 and Rac2 GTPases are Necessary for Early Erythropoietic Expansion in the Bone Marrow but Not in the Spleen
Rac1 and Rac2 GTPases are essential for normal bone marrow erythropoiesis but they are dispensable for erythropoiesis in the spleen, implying different signaling pathways for homeostatic and stress erythropoiesis. [Haematologica]

CLINICAL RESEARCH

Testing the Natural Killer T Cell Hypothesis in Lenalidomide-Treated Myelodysplastic Syndrome Patients
Study data challenge the concept that natural killer T (NKT) cell defects contribute to the development of myelodysplastic syndrome, and shows that a clinical response to lenalidomide is not dependent on modulation of NKT cell frequency or function. [Leukemia]

Phase I Study of Recombinant Human Interleukin-7 Administration in Subjects with Refractory Malignancy
This study shows the potent biological activity of recombinant human IL-7 in humans over a well-tolerated dose range and allows further exploration of its possible therapeutic applications. [Clin Cancer Res]

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Analyst Raises Baxter Rating to ‘Outperform’ on Expected Growth in Blood Product Sales, Profit
A Morgan Keegan analyst upgraded shares of specialty drug and medical device maker Baxter International Inc., saying sales of a blood product will be stronger than Wall Street expects. [Los Angeles Times]

Sunesis Announces Publication of Nonclinical Voreloxin Data in Leukemias
Sunesis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced the publication of new nonclinical studies with the Company’s lead drug candidate, voreloxin. [Sunesis Pharmaceuticals Press Release]

CytRx to Conduct Phase II Clinical Trial With Bafetinib In B Cell Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia
CytRx Corporation announced plans to initiate a Phase II proof-of-concept clinical trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of bafetinib (formerly known as INNO-406) in patients with high-risk B cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia. [CytRX Corporation Press Release]

Facet Biotech Announces Enrollment of First Patient in Phase II Study of Elotuzumab in Patients With Relapsed Multiple Myeloma
Facet Biotech Corporation today announced enrollment of the first patient into the randomized Phase II portion of the ongoing Phase I/II study of elotuzumab, an investigational humanized antibody being studied for the treatment of relapsed multiple myeloma in combination with lenalidomide and low-dose dexamethasone. [Facet Biotech Corporation Press Release]

After Long March, Scientists Create ‘Chinese National Institutes of Health’
The National Natural Science Foundation of China launched a medical department that expects to disburse about 1 billion renminbi ($150 million) in government grants in 2010. [The National Natural Science Foundation of China, People’s Republic of China]

Advisory Committees; Tentative Schedule of Meetings for 2010 [Food and Drug Administration, United States]

Proposed FDA Rulemaking on Informed Consent Requirements (NOT-OD-10-046) [National Institutes of Health, United States]

PHS 2010-02 Omnibus Solicitation of the NIH for Small Business Technology Transfer Grant Applications (PA-10-051) [National Institutes of Health, United States]

IACUC 101 and 201 PLUS Workshops: February 24-25, 2010 in Lafayette, LA (NOT-OD-10-044) [National Institutes of Health, United States]

Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) Stipends, Tuition/Fees and Other Budgetary Levels Effective for Fiscal Year 2010 (NOT-OD-10-047) [National Institutes of Health, United States]

2010 Bone Marrow Transplant Tandem Meetings
February 24-28, 2010
Orlando, United States

36th Annual Meeting of the European Group for Blood & Marrow Transplantation
March 21-24, 2010
Vienna, Austria

12th Biennial CBMTG Conference
April 7-10, 2010
Vancouver, Canada

ISSCR 8th Annual Meeting
June 16-19, 2010
San Francisco, United States

XXXIst International Congress of the ISBT in joint cooperation with the 43rd Congress of the DGTI
June 26-July 1, 2010
Berlin, Germany

ISEH 2010 Meeting
September 15-18, 2010
Melbourn, Australia

Visit our events page to stay up to date with the latest events in the cell, gene and immunotherapy community.

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