Three research projects that are studying different approaches to addressing follicular lymphoma (FL) are about to get a boost in funds thanks to $2.25 million in award funding from the Follicular Lymphoma Foundation (FLF), The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS), and the Institute for Follicular Lymphoma Innovation (IFLI), who have all partnered in their “Research United to Cure FL” initiative.1
According to a news release on the awards: “Research United to CURE Follicular Lymphoma combines the shared mission and efforts of three leading blood cancer foundations to support and drive scientific innovation and accelerate clinical trials in FL, bringing more effective therapies and, ultimately, a cure for FL closer to reality."
In the release, Mitchell Smith, MD, who is Chief Medical Officer of FLF, said: “By uniting our expertise and resources, we can enhance our research efforts and accelerate the development of new treatments. This powerful alliance brings us one step closer to finding a cure.”
Lee Greenberger, PhD, who is Chief Scientific Officer of LLS, added: “We are incredibly excited about the innovative projects we’ve funded. Each of these groundbreaking research initiatives holds immense potential to transform the treatment landscape.”
Michel Azoulay, MD, who is Chief Medical Officer of IFLI, echoed Greenberger’s sentiments, adding: “We are thrilled to unite with FLF and LLS to CURE-FL and are confident that this partnership will significantly accelerate innovative research. Our aim is to provide catalytic capital to develop new technology approaches and a Path to a Cure for patients suffering from follicular lymphoma.”
According to the release, the first project, from Mark Murakami, MD, and other researchers from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, is analyzing data from several clinical trials patients undergoing treatment with bispecific antibodies that target the lymphoma and surrounding cells. The research aims to study resistance patterns among lymphoma cells and potentially expose vulnerabilities within the cells that can be exploited by novel combination treatments.
A second project, led by Steven Park, MD, and his team at Atrium Wake Forest Levine Cancer, is looking at a targeted blood cancer strategy that focuses on using high-precision, targeted nanoparticles designed to deliver drugs only to the cancer, and designing specific protein-degrading chimeric molecules (PROTACs) that target a cancer-specific protein. They will use mantle cell lymphoma and FL as their test models.
Also with this award, Philippe Armand, MD, and researchers from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute will be awarded funds for their project, which is investigating the efficacy of a bispecific antibody as a first-line treatment for FL patients. The investigators aim to identify biomarkers to predict how patients will respond to and tolerate bispecific antibody treatment in the absence of first-line chemotherapy.
Reference
- Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Blood cancer foundations award $2.25 million for “Research United to Cure Follicular Lymphoma.” News release. August 7, 2024. Accessed August 14, 2024. https://www.lls.org/news/blood-cancer-foundations-award-225-million-research-united-cure-follicular-lymphoma