Hematopoiesis News Volume 2.16 | Apr 26 2011

Decoding Cancer Patients’ Genomes Is Powerful Diagnostic Tool
Two new studies highlight the power of sequencing cancer patients’ genomes as a diagnostic tool, helping doctors decide the best course of treatment and researchers identify new cancer susceptibility mutations that can be passed from parent to child. [Press release from Washington University in St. Louis discussing online prepublication in the Journal of the American Medical Association]

Global Team of Scientists Identifies Key Genetic Risk Variants for Blood Cancers Known as Lymphomas
An international team of scientists, epidemiologists and clinicians has identified key genetic risk variants that signal the likelihood of developing follicular lymphoma. [Press release from A*STAR Genome Institute of Singapore discussing online prepublication in PLoS Genetics]

LABORATORY RESEARCH

MLL Fusion Proteins Preferentially Regulate a Subset of Wild Type MLL Target Genes in the Leukemic Genome
By comparing patient-derived leukemic cell lines, scientists found that MLL fusion-bound genes are a small subset of that recognized by wild-type MLL. [Blood]

RUNX1 Regulates Corepressor Interactions of PU.1
To investigate the mechanisms underlying cooperative gene activation, the effects of Runx1 deficiency were examined in an in vitro model of Pu.1 driven macrophage differentiation and in primary cells. [Blood]

STAT3-Dependent IL-21 Production from T Helper Cells Regulates Hematopoietic Progenitor Cell Homeostasis
Researchers demonstrated that hematopoietic progenitor cell activity is decreased in mice with STAT3-deficient T cells, a phenotype that is not due to decreased expression of IL-17 or RORγt. [Blood]

Three Chemokine Receptors Cooperatively Regulate Homing of Hematopoietic Progenitors to the Embryonic Mouse Thymus
Investigators showed that chemotaxis is the key mechanism regulating thymus homing in the mouse embryo. [Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A]

Down-Regulation of Homeobox Genes MEIS1 and HOXA in MLL-Rearranged Acute Leukemia Impairs Engraftment and Reduces Proliferation
In this study, each of the four genes (MEIS1, HOXA7, HOXA9, and HOXA10) were knocked down separately in the human precursor B cell leukemic line RS4;11 expressing MLL-AF4. [Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A]

The Role of MicroRNA-150 as a Tumor Suppressor in Malignant Lymphoma
Through expression analysis, scientists showed that in both natural killer (NK)/T-cell lymphoma lines and samples of primary lymphoma, levels of microRNA -150 expression were significantly lower than in normal NK cells. [Leukemia]

CLINICAL RESEARCH

Use of Whole-Genome Sequencing to Diagnose a Cryptic Fusion Oncogene
The objective of this study was to determine whether whole-genome sequencing can identify cryptic, actionable mutations in a clinically relevant time frame. [JAMA]

Identification of a Novel TP53 Cancer Susceptibility Mutation Through Whole-Genome Sequencing of a Patient with Therapy-Related AML
The objective of this study was to apply whole-genome sequencing to a patient without any significant family history of cancer but with suspected increased cancer susceptibility because of multiple primary tumors to identify rare or novel germline variants in cancer susceptibility genes. [JAMA]

Alemtuzumab with Fludarabine and Cyclophosphamide Reduces Chronic Graft Versus Host Disease After Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplantation for Acquired Aplastic Anemia
Researchers evaluated a novel alemtuzumab-based conditioning regimen in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for acquired severe aplastic anemia. [Blood]

Individual Patient Data Meta-Analysis of Randomized Trials Evaluating Interleukin-2 Monotherapy as Remission Maintenance Therapy in Acute Myeloid Leukemia
The objective of this meta-analysis was to reliably determine IL-2 efficacy by combining all available individual patient data from 5 randomized clinical trials (RCTs) (n=905) and summary data from a 6th RCT (n=550). [Blood]

Genome-Wide Association Studies of Follicular Lymphoma Reveals Allelic Heterogeneity at 6p21.32 and Suggests Shared Genetic Susceptibility with Diffuse Large B Cell Lymphoma
In a three-stage genome-wide association study, investigators identified a second independent follicular lymphoma–associated locus on 6p21.32, rs2647012 (OR_combined = 0.64, P_combined = 2×10⁻²¹) located 962 bp away from rs10484561 (r² less than 0.1 in controls). [PLoS Genet]

Continuing High Early Death Rate in Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia: A Population-Based Report from the Swedish Adult Acute Leukemia Registry
Scientists studied acute promyelocytic leukemia patients diagnosed between 1997 and 2006 in the population-based Swedish Adult Acute Leukemia Registry. [Leukemia]

Wedgewood Pharmacy Will Compound Cytarabine, a Life-Saving Leukemia Drug in Critically Short-Supply
Wedgewood Pharmacy will compound Cytarabine 20mg/ml injection solution, which is in critical short supply due to increased demand and manufacturing delays. [Wedgewood Pharmacy Press Release]

New Dean of Research Named at Wake Forest School of Medicine
Janice D. Wagner, D.V.M., Ph.D, has been named Vice President/Senior Associate Dean for Research at Wake Forest School of Medicine. [Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center Press Release]

Thomas Kipps Receives ACGT Investigator Award
Citing his on-going development of an immune-mediated gene therapy for intractable B cell leukemia, the Alliance for Cancer Gene Therapy (ACGT) has awarded Thomas J. Kipps, MD, PhD its 2010 Investigator Award in Clinical Translation of Cell and Gene Therapy. [University of California, San Diego Press Release]

National Institutes of Health (United States)

Food and Drug Administration (United States)
 
Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (United States)
 
European Medicines Agency (European Union)

Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (United Kingdom)

Therapeutic Goods Administration (Australia)

NEW 4th Stem Cells Europe
July 20-21, 2011
Edinburgh, Scotland 

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