Lymphoma Research Foundation to Provide $12.8M for Mantle Cell Research; Univ. of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center Receives $2.4M

12/10/2003

From: Julie Kimbrough, 212-585-3501 or juliekimbrough@earthlink.net, for the Lymphoma Research Foundation

NEW YORK, Dec. 10 -- The Lymphoma Research Foundation (LRF) announced today that it will award $12.8 million in research funding to help find a cure for mantle cell lymphoma, one of the more rare forms of the disease. Eighteen research grants will be provided to institutions throughout the world. The M. D. Anderson Cancer Center will receive $2.4 million for three mantle cell research projects. Lymphoma is the most common blood cancer and the third most common cancer of childhood.

"Mantle cell lymphoma is a very aggressive form of the disease and prognosis for patients has been very poor," said Joseph Bertino, M.D. chair of the LRF Scientific Advisory Board. "But new and experimental therapies now being investigated for mantle cell lymphoma make this the right time to invest research funds. Our goal is to develop new and improved, less toxic therapies to enhance survival rates and ultimately find a cure," added Dr. Bertino.

In June 2003, LRF convened leading scientists from around the world conducting research in mantle cell lymphoma at a two-day workshop to explore the scope and depth of current research worldwide, and to identify the best research projects for consideration of funding. As a result of this workshop and thanks to a $12.8 million anonymous contribution from a New York- based family, LRF will provide funding for eighteen clinical and/or laboratory-based projects. Nine grants will be awarded immediately, with nine more to be announced in January, 2004.

The three projects at M. D. Anderson Cancer Center will be conducted under the leadership of Richard Champlin, M.D., Issa F. Khouri, M.D., and Richard J. Ford, M.D., Ph.D. The goal of Dr. Champlin's project is to develop a safer, more effective system for stem cell transplantation to achieve engraftment without the body rejecting the transplant. This novel strategy will use donor stem cells with donor T-cells stimulated against a third party. Dr. Khouri's project will examine whether a transplant of blood stem cells from a compatible donor will help patients with recurrent or relapsed mantle cell lymphoma to prolong their remission after chemotherapy. Dr. Ford and his team plan to develop valid cell culture and animal models which accurately reflect the unique characteristics of mantle cell lymphoma. This will greatly help in the development of more effective and less toxic therapies.

Speaking for the whole team at the M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Dr. Champlin said, "We are committed to developing more effective treatments for lymphoma. In our initial studies, blood stem cell transplants from a compatible donor have been very promising inducing long term remissions in patients with advanced disease. The grants from LRF will allow us to study the basic biology of this malignancy and further develop and definitely evaluate stem cell transplants, which hold great promise towards a cure."

Mantle cell lymphoma is a relatively uncommon B-cell lymphoma which accounts for 5 percent to 7 percent of all adult non- Hodgkin's lymphoma cases in the U.S. It is a malignancy of cells located in the mantle zone of the lymph node, a thin area surrounding individual follicles. Mantle cell lymphoma predominantly affects older males.

More than 500,000 Americans are affected by some form of lymphoma, either non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) or Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL). Each year another 61,000 new cases are diagnosed and nearly 25,000 people die from the disease. NHL is the most common cancer of the lymphatic system. The overall five-year survival rate is only 55 percent. Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL), also known as Hodgkin's disease, is a less common form of lymphoma. The overall five-year survival rate is 84 percent. Hodgkin's lymphoma occurs mainly in young adults, with a peak occurrence between ages 16 and 34. Older patients, especially those over age 55, may also develop HL.

The mission of the Lymphoma Research Foundation (LRF) is to eradicate lymphoma and serve those touched by the disease. The Foundation is the nation's largest lymphoma-focused voluntary health organization devoted exclusively to funding research to cure all lymphomas and providing patients and healthcare professionals with critical information on the disease. To date, LRF has funded over $9 million in lymphoma research. People affected by lymphoma can receive free personalized information tailored to their diagnosis, help with finding a clinical trial, and easy-to-understand information on lymphoma, current treatments, and promising research. Please call 800-500-9976, email helpline@lymphoma.org, or visit the Web site http://www.lymphoma.org.