Hematopoiesis News Volume 2.31 | Aug 9 2011

Unconventional Hunt for New Cancer Targets Leads to a Powerful Drug Candidate for Leukemia
Scientists have used an unconventional approach to cancer drug discovery to identify a new potential treatment for acute myeloid leukemia. [Press release from Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory discussing online prepublication in Nature]

Researchers Found Way to Help Donor Adult Blood Stem Cells Overcome Transplant Rejection
Findings by researchers may suggest new strategies for successful donor adult stem cell transplants in patients with blood cancers such as leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma. [Press release from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center discussing online prepublication in Cell Stem Cell]

Standard Aplastic Anemia Therapy Improves Patient Outcomes Better Than Newer Version
A comparison clinical study of two aplastic anemia treatments found that ATGAM, currently the only licensed aplastic anemia drug in the United States, improved blood cell counts and survival significantly more than did thymoglobulin, a similar but reportedly more potent treatment. [Press release from the National Institutes of Health discussing online prepublication in the New England Journal of Medicine]

Scientists Begin First-of-Its-Kind Research to Create Blood Platelets from Stem Cells to Study Genetics of Blood Clotting Disorders
Scientists have launched a pioneering research program to create, for the first time, human platelet cells from stem cells in order to study inherited blood clotting abnormalities ranging from clots that cause heart attacks and stroke to bleeding disorders. [Johns Hopkins Medicine Press Release]

LABORATORY RESEARCH

RNA Interference Screen Identifies Bromodomain-Containing 4 as a Therapeutic Target in Acute Myeloid Leukemia
Here scientists describe a non-biased approach to probe epigenetic vulnerabilities in acute myeloid leukemia. [Nature]

Ex Vivo Expanded Hematopoietic Stem Cells Overcome the MHC Barrier in Allogeneic Transplantation
Here researchers show that ex vivo expanded mouse hematopoietic stem cells efficiently overcame the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) barrier and repopulated allogeneic-recipient mice. [Cell Stem Cell]

Dominant-Negative C/Ebpα and Polycomb Group Protein Bmi1 Extends Short-Lived Hematopoietic Stem/Progenitor Cells Lifespan and Induces Lethal Dyserythropoiesis
Here investigators show that targeted expression of a dominant-negative C/ebpα in the primitive short-lived-hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells during zebrafish embryogenesis extends their lifespan. [Blood]

MicroRNA-32 Upregulation by 1,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D3 in Human Myeloid Leukemia Cells Leads to Bim Targeting and Inhibition of AraC-Induced Apoptosis
Researchers hypothesized that one or more microRNAs known to control mouse hematopoiesis and lineage commitment might contribute to the ability of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 to control the malignant phenotype. [Cancer Res]

Targeted Gene Modification of Hematopoietic Progenitor Cells in Mice Following Systemic Administration of a Peptide Nucleic Acid-Peptide Conjugate
Herein, investigators provide a gene-targeting strategy that allows site-specific in vivo gene modification in the hematopoietic stem cells of mice. [Mol Ther]

Shear Stress Regulates Adhesion and Rolling of CD44⁺ Leukemic and Hematopoietic Progenitor Cells on Hyaluronan
Scientists investigated quantitatively the adhesion behavior of leukemic cell lines and hematopoietic progenitor cells on thin films of the polysaccharides hyaluronan and alginate in a microfluidic system. [Biophys J]

CLINICAL RESEARCH

Horse Versus Rabbit Antithymocyte Globulin in Acquired Aplastic Anemia
From December 2005 through July 2010, researchers performed a randomized trial comparing horse and rabbit antithymocyte globulin formulations in conventional regimens. [New Engl J Med]

Low Expression of MN1 Associates with Better Treatment Response in Older Patients with De Novo Cytogenetically Normal Acute Myeloid Leukemia
Investigators analyzed pre-therapy MN1 expression in 140 older (≥60 years) de novo cytogenetically normal acute myeloid leukemia patients treated on cytarabine/daunorubicin-based protocols. [Blood]

A Randomized Trial Comparing Standard Versus High-Dose Daunorubicin Induction in Patients with Acute Myeloid Leukemia
Scientists conducted a Phase III randomized trial comparing two different doses of daunorubicin as induction chemotherapy in young adults (60 years or younger) with acute myeloid leukemia. [Blood]

BeEAM (Bendamustine, Etoposide, Cytarabine, Melphalan) Prior to Autologous Stem Cell Transplant Is Safe and Effective for Resistant/Relapsed Lymphoma Patients
Researchers designed a Phase I-II study to evaluate the safety and the efficacy of increasing doses of bendamustine (160 mg/m², 180 mg/m² and 200 mg/m² given on days -7 and -6) coupled with BeEAM regimen as the conditioning regimen to autologous stem cell transplantation for resistant/relapsed lymphoma patients. [Blood]

Successful Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation for GATA2 Deficiency
Investigators performed nonmyeloablative hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in 6 patients with a newly described genetic immunodeficiency syndrome caused by mutations in GATA2. [Blood]

Starting Up the Gene Therapy Project in China
Takara Bio Inc. and Tianjin Medical University, Cancer Institute and Hospital have agreed to enter into a collaboration agreement as of July 27, 2011. [Takara Bio Inc. Press Release]

Sunesis Pharmaceuticals Issued Important U.S. Patent Covering Vosaroxin Use to Treat Leukemia
Sunesis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office issued U.S. Patent No. 7,989,468 claiming methods of use for the Company’s lead drug candidate, vosaroxin, at clinically relevant dose ranges and schedules, for the treatment of leukemia. [Sunesis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Press Release]

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