UNMC Researchers Receive $3.24 Million NIH Grant To Study
non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma
A team of University of Nebraska Medical Center researchers has received
a $3.24 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to study all
major forms of B-cell non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and try to determine unique
patterns of gene expression that characterize the disease. It is hoped
the study will enable physicians to better characterize and predict the
behavior of each lymphoma at diagnosis and lead to novel therapies for
patients with lymphoma.
Wing (John) Chan, M.D., professor in the UNMC Department of Pathology
and Microbiology, is principal investigator on the grant, which will provide
funding over the next four-and-a-half years. The multi-institutional study
also involves Stanford University, British Columbia Cancer Agency and the
National Cancer Institute.
Lymphoma is the second most rapidly rising cancer over the last 20 years
with an estimated 85,000 new cases each year. It is a cancer of the immune
system, a network of lymphoid tissues that protect the body from infections
and foreign materials. Lymphomas are divided into Hodgkin’s and non-Hodgkin’s
lymphomas. The two are distinguished by cell type, but they share similar
symptoms such as painless swelling of the lymph glands, fever and fatigue.
Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma is more common with many different subtypes.
It generally occurs in individuals between 30 and 70 years of age. Some
patients with lymphoma do not respond to therapy, some respond for a time,
and some have long and complete remissions. The disease has frustrated
the medical community over the years by the lack of new and effective treatments.
Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma has been more difficult to cure than Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
“Because there are many different types of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, effective
treatment of the disease can be quite challenging,” Dr. Chan said. “Even
with a single subtype, each tumor can exhibit very different clinical behavior
and sensitivity to chemotherapeutic agents. We have very little understanding
on what governs the differences in clinical and biological behavior. But,
now with the development of new technologies, we are able to define the
gene expression pattern and cytogenetic abnormalities associated with the
different types of lymphoma.”
Over the past 15 years, the Nebraska Lymphoma Study Group organized
by UNMC has accumulated a large tumor bank, as well as an extensive clinical
data base, Dr. Chan said. These clinical resources — along with similar
resources from Stanford University and British Columbia Cancer Agency
will provide the foundation for the study.
“Our ultimate goal is to uncover the molecular basis that determines
the clinical behaviors of different forms of lymphoma,” Dr. Chan said.
“If we’re successful in identifying these molecular targets, it should
allow us to better diagnose the disease and develop new and more effective
treatments for patients.”
Other UNMC investigators participating in the project are Dennis Weisenburger,
M.D., pathology and microbiology, Timothy Greiner, M.D., pathology and
microbiology, James Armitage, M.D., internal medicine, James Lynch, Ph.D.,
preventive and societal medicine, and Warren Sanger, Ph.D., Munroe-Meyer
Institute.
The UNMC and Nebraska Health System program is considered one of the
best in the world in the diagnosis and treatment of lymphomas. Since 1984,
the program has performed nearly 2,500 bone marrow and peripheral stem
cell transplants with the majority of these procedures done on patients
with lymphoma.
UNMC is the only public academic health science center in the state.
Through its commitment to research, education, outreach and patient care,
UNMC has established itself as one of the country’s leading centers for
cancer research and treatment and solid organ transplantation. Nearly $31
million in research grants and contracts were awarded to UNMC scientists
during the past fiscal year. In addition, UNMC’s educational programs are
responsible for training more health professionals practicing in Nebraska
than any other institution.