LLS has more than $250 million research funding commitments to propel the next generation of blood cancer care
Patient education, financial support and advocacy round out LLS’s 360-degree approach to improving the lives of blood cancer patients, survivors and families
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Rye Brook, N.Y., November 14, 2024 – Children with Down syndrome are up to 150 times more likely to develop acute myeloid leukemia before age 5 and yet very little research has been done to figure out why. The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) has just awarded a $5 million five-year grant to a global team of researchers to uncover the reasons why incidence is so high and to develop new treatments against this quickly progressing blood cancer.
This is just one of 59 biomedical research grants LLS made this year to leading academic researchers worldwide. LLS also makes investments through its Therapy Acceleration Program® (TAP), which provides funding to emerging biotech companies. LLS TAP currently has over $40 million invested to accelerate the development of innovative blood cancer treatments that hold promise for changing the standard of care.
“At LLS, we are investing in research that connects the dots, from understanding blood cancer’s origins and genetic drivers, to supporting late-stage clinical testing so that the best ideas are advanced more quickly to bring innovative new treatment to patients,” says E. Anders (Andy) Kolb, M.D., president and CEO of LLS.
In addition to pioneering scientific research, LLS is also a leader in health services research, generating evidence that’s used to improve patient outcomes by making changes to both healthcare practice and health policy. A hallmark of that work is the LLS Equity in Access Research Program, which supports research to understand the impact of disadvantages facing patients and survivors and reduce their barriers to care. One focus of that program is identifying strategies to improve clinical trial participation, particularly among underrepresented groups.
LLS also provides financial assistance to patients, offers free education and support, and advocates for policies at the state and federal levels that improve access to quality, affordable care. In the last fiscal year, LLS awarded more than $173 million in assistance.
Uniting with scientists to push research boundaries, improve outcomes for blood cancer patients
“It is not by chance that LLS has contributed to 70% of the 175 treatment approvals for blood cancer over the last 20 years,” says Lee Greenberger, Ph.D., chief scientific officer of LLS. “We invest at all stages of research to help bring drugs to market in the near term, but also to ensure that early research—the bedrock of future treatments—receives the funding it needs to keep the advances coming for future generations.”
The Down syndrome research is being led by John Crispino, Ph.D., of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. This LLS Specialized Center of Research (SCOR) program will improve our understanding of the biology of acute leukemia in children with Down syndrome and help in the development of effective and less toxic treatments.
“Children with Down syndrome are at 150-fold and 20-fold increased risk of acute myeloid leukemia and B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia, respectively. Although therapies for AML in children with DS are largely effective, these children suffer many side effects from the treatment and those who relapse have few options,” Dr. Crispino said. “This support from LLS facilitates our mission of curing leukemia in all children with Down syndrome and reducing side effects of current treatments in this vulnerable population, while providing insights into other leukemias that involve alterations in chromosome 21.”
The LLS SCOR program funds collaborative work to accelerate research progress. Another new SCOR program led by Jean Koff, M.D., at the Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University, brings together researchers from Emory, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Weill Cornell Medicine and Georgia Institute of Technology. They are working to understand why some patients with lymphoma, like African Americans and those with Epstein-Barr virus, have worse outcomes compared to other patient groups.
“Support from the LLS is crucial for our team's mission: using a better understanding of cancer biology to address health disparities in patients with lymphoma,” Dr. Koff. “Our ultimate goal is to fast-track development of treatments designed to help the most vulnerable patients.”
LLS builds on its heritage as a leader in pediatric and immune-based research with a grant to Rayne Rouce, M.D., at Baylor College of Medicine. Dr. Rouce is examining ways to make CAR T-immunotherapy effective for T-cell blood cancers, particularly in children, adolescents and young adults. LLS has awarded over $100 million in the past 20 years to develop CAR T-therapies for patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma, multiple myeloma and certain forms of leukemia. There are now 17 FDA-approved CAR T therapies for blood cancer, but none so far for T-cell based blood cancers.
While treatment advances have improved survival, multiple myeloma remains incurable. Alfred Garfall, M.D., at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania is testing a new treatment approach to limit toxicity and side effects to improve patient quality of life. Their work centers around limited-duration dosing of an immunotherapy called bispecific antibodies.
“The newest immunotherapies for multiple myeloma, called bispecific antibodies, are so effective that we may be able to give multiple myeloma patients a break from treatment after they achieve a good response,” Dr. Garfall said. “This award from LLS provides critical resources for a multi-site clinical trial to test this limited-duration approach, which has potential to avoid risks of long-term therapy and improve patients’ quality of life.”
In additional survivorship research, Gaurav Goyal, M.D., at the University of Alabama at Birmingham is looking at long-term outcomes in survivors of Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis and Erdheim-Chester disease. Treatment advances have led to a growing population of survivors of these rare forms of blood cancer, which can affect the bones, skin and brain. However, because the disease is rare, there is a critical need for research into the challenges survivors face after treatment.
“With advances in therapeutics, there is a growing survivor population with Langerhans cell histiocytosis and Erdheim-Chester disease,” Dr. Goyal. “However, there is a lack of information on long-term complications from these diseases and their treatments. The LLS award provides critical support for me to develop a national survivorship program for this vulnerable population. The research in these diseases often lags behind as they are not included in either of the conventional hematologic malignancy groups (lymphoma, myeloma, and leukemia). The recognition of histiocytosis as an area of unmet need to invest in highlights the commitment of LLS toward advancing research for these neoplasms.”
There are no established effective treatment options for patients with rare types of cytotoxic T-cell and NK-cell lymphomas. Survival is measured in only weeks to months. Nenad Tomasevic, Ph.D., is the CEO and co-founder of Dren Bio, one of the TAP partner companies. Dren Bio is currently enrolling patients on a promising clinical trial evaluating a first-in-class antibody that works by targeting a protein called CD94 that is common on the cancerous cells. Dren Bio works closely with the LLS TAP team by engaging with clinicians worldwide to find better treatment options for these rare types of blood cancers.
LLS thanks Big Nova Foundation for their partnership in supporting the research grants to Dr. Crispino and Dr. Rouce.
LLS takes a 360-degree approach to accelerating progress for patients and families
LLS is the largest private funder of blood cancer research, with a long heritage of supporting all stages of research into every type of blood cancer across all age groups.
But improving the lives of blood cancer patients and their families requires LLS’s holistic approach. While accelerating its work in biomedical research, LLS is also advocating for access to clinical trials and affordable care for everyone and providing patients and families with the education and support they need.
“LLS is able to do this amazing work thanks to the ongoing support of our generous philanthropists,” says Dr. Kolb. “We are uniting with innovative scientists across the world to find more cures and working in so many other ways to improve the lives of all blood cancer patients, survivors and their families.”
About The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society® (LLS) is the global leader in the fight against blood cancer. The LLS mission: Cure blood cancer and improve the quality of life of all patients and their families. LLS funds lifesaving blood cancer research around the world, provides free information and support services, and is the voice for all blood cancer patients seeking access to quality, affordable, coordinated care.
Founded in 1949 and headquartered in Rye Brook, NY, LLS has regions throughout the United States and Canada. To learn more, visit www.LLS.org. Patients and families should contact the Information Resource Center at (800) 955-4572, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. ET.
For additional information, visit lls.org/lls-newsnetwork. Follow us on Facebook, X, Instagram, LinkedIn and TikTok.
About LLS research grants and the Therapy Acceleration Program®
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society® (LLS) is the largest nonprofit funder of leading-edge research for every type of blood cancer. We make thoughtful investments in blood cancer research that will lead to scientific breakthroughs to improve and save the lives of patients. Academic researchers can learn more about LLS grants and apply here. Biotech companies interested in becoming an LLS Therapy Acceleration Program® partner can find more information about our venture philanthropy here.
Media contact:
Ryan McDonald,
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
Ryan.McDonald@lls.org