Steve Collins receives Leukemia and Lymphoma Society grant to improve leukemia-drug therapy

Brief
October 16, 2003

Dr. Steven Collins, investigator in the Human Biology and Clinical Research divisions, is the recipient of a three-year, $360,000 grant from the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society to research new therapies for myeloid leukemias, diseases that affect the normal production of white blood cells.

The award is one of 32 grants from the society's Translational Research Program, which funds researchers on the forefront of developing improved treatments for leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma.

Collins will use the grant to improve the therapeutic ability of the vitamin A derivative retinoic acid, which is an effective treatment for certain types of myeloid leukemia. However, other leukemias are relatively insensitive to retinoic acid and a significant number of initially sensitive leukemias later develop resistance to this compound. Collins' laboratory has recently discovered that chemical inhibitors of proteins known as calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinases markedly sensitize the effects of certain laboratory-grown leukemia cells to retinoic acid. He and colleagues will conduct studies of the inhibitor in mice to determine how it is distributed in different vital organs after injection, the dose at which it can be given safely with minimal side effects and its effectiveness in treating certain mouse forms of leukemia. Based on the outcome of these experiments, the approach could lead to future clinical trials to test whether this or related compounds might be effective in the therapy of human leukemias.

The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society established the Translational Research Program to encourage and support research that shows strong promise for translating basic biomedical knowledge to new treatments that will ultimately prolong and enhance patients' lives. The program's goal is to accelerate the transfer of findings from the laboratory to clinical application.

The Washington/Alaska Chapter of the society raised funds for the program through the 6th Annual Quality Food Centers "Quest for the Cure" golf tournament on Sept. 22 at the Golf Club at Newcastle, Wash. The event drew more than $530,000 in donations. Collins also holds the Madeline Dabney Adams Endowed Chair in AML Research, funded by a gift to Fred Hutchinson from Madeline and Howell E. Adams, Jr.

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