Dr. Jeffrey Laurence, an internationally recognized expert on HIV-AIDS and a Professor of Medicine in the Division of Hematology and Medical Oncology, appeared in an HBO documentary on AIDS.
Building on the Melnick Lab's research identifying novel disease mechanisms and therapeutic targets in B-cell lymphomas, the 4th most common malignancy in the United States. Dr. Béguelin will present her recent discoveries outlining the mechanism of action of a protein called EZH2, which functions as a histone methyltransferase that silences gene expression.
On the heels of numerous advancements by the Melnick Lab, the latest breakthrough involves an experimental new drug that is capable of completely eradicating human lymphoma in mice after five doses. Published in Cell Reports (August 2013), this finding sets the stage for clinical trials that would use an experimental drug for the treatment of B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL).
Dr. Gail Roboz, Associate Professor of Medicine and Director of the Leukemia Program at NYP/WC, has been named lead investigator for a Sunesis Pharmaceuticals-funded clinical trial for the treatment of myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). A Phase I/II (open-label, dose escalating) trial, it is set to enroll approximately 40 patients with MDS who previously experienced failed treatment using hypomethylating agent-based therapy.
Chemoresistant diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is a devastating illness that affects thousands of people each year in the United Stats, but there is good news to report. Dr. Leandro Cerchietti and Dr. Peter Martin, both members of the Division of Hematology and Medical Oncology, published a paper in Cancer Discovery in September 2013 that sheds light on the mechanisms by which DLBCL becomes resistant to chemotherapy and how those changes might be reversed.
This was the 22nd annual presentation of the DOM Investigator Award, which is presented to members of the Department of Medicine, below the rank of professor, who perform on an outstanding level in the areas of clinical and/or basic biomedical research. The award is generously supported by the Michael Wolk Foundation.
Initiated in 2002, the Fellows Research Award is presented annually to fellows within the Department of Medicine who have presented outstanding research. This year's winners were announced at the June 11 Medicine Grand Rounds (11th Annual).
Dr. John P. Leonard was named Chair of the Lymphoma Committee (NIH-Sponsored Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology). He will guide the national agenda for lymphoma research regarding Phase II and Phase III NIH-funded clinical trials. Directing a team of clinical and translational researchers from U.S. academic and community medical centers, efforts are focused on creating and implementing new standards of treatment and fostering novel therapeutics.
For excellence in cancer research, Dr. Lewis Cantley, the Margaret and Herman Sokol Professor in Oncology Research and Professor of Cancer Biology in Medicine, received an Inaugural $3 Million Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences. The award was given to Dr. Cantley for his landmark discovery of the signaling pathway phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K).
For more than a decade, Dr. John P. Leonard has been at the forefront of personalized medicine in the field of cancer. He has focused on identifying the factors as to why people with the same cancer may react differently to the same treatment. Ultimately, Dr. Leonard seeks to improve cancer treatments, while minimizing side effects.
