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July
1, 2003 |
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Top
Stories |
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Regulatory
Updates |
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Clinical
Research |
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Pharmaceutical
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Association
News |
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Calendar |
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ASBMT's
eNews
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Tandem BMT Meetings
Feb 13 - 17, 2004
Orlando, Florida
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Calendar |
• July
British Association for Cancer Research (BACR)
5th British Cancer Research Meeting
July 2-7
Bournemouth International Centre
Bournemouth, England
International Society for Experimental Hematology (ISEH)
43nd Annual Scientific Meeting
July 5-8
Palais des Congres
Paris
American Association for Cancer Research (AACR)
94th Annual Meeting
July 11-14
Washington Convention Center
Washington, D.C.
European Group for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (EBMT)
29th Annual Meeting
July 20-23
Istanbul Congress and Exhibition Centre
Istanbul, Turkey
• August
American Society for Cell Biology (ASCB)
Signal Transduction Determining the Fate of Stem Cells
Aug. 9-12
Montana State University
Bozeman, Montana
• September
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
2003 Cancer Conference
Sept. 15-18
Marriott Marquis Hotel
Atlanta
Federation of European Cancer Societies (FECS)
ECCO 12
Sept. 21-25
Bella Center A/S
Copenhagen, Denmark
Asian Society of Transplantation (AST)
8th Congress
Sept. 23-27
Shangri-La Hotel
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
• October
American Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (ASBMT)
(with the International Society for Cellular Therapy)
3rd Annual Meeting on Mesenchymal and Nonhematopoietic Stem
Cells
Oct. 19-21
New Orleans
American Society for Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics (ASHI)
29th Annual Meeting
Oct. 28-Nov. 1
Fontainebleau Hilton
Miami Beach, Florida
• November
American Association of Blood Banks (AABB)
56th Annual Meeting
Nov. 1-4
San Diego, California
American Society of Human Genetics (ASHG)
53rd Annual Meeting
Nov. 4-8
Los Angeles Convention Center
Los Angeles
National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP)
Council Meeting
Nov. 14-16
Minneapolis
European Society for Gene Therapy (ESGT)
11th Annual Meeting
Nov. 14-17
Edinburgh International Conference Centre
Edinburgh, Scotland
• December
American Society of Hematology (ASH)
45th Annual Meeting
Dec. 6-9
San Diego Convention Center
San Diego, California
American Society for Cell Biology (ASCB)
43rd Annual Meeting
Dec. 13-17
Moscone Convention Center
San Francisco, California
2004
American Society of Transplantation (AST)
8th Annual Winter Symposium
Jan. 15-18
Westin Kierland Resort
Scottsdale, Arizona
2004 Tandem BMT Meetings
(Combined ASBMT and IBMTR/ABMTR annual meetings)
Feb. 13-17
Coronado Springs Resort
Orlando, Florida
American Society of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology (ASPH/O)
17th Annual Scientific Meeting
April 29-May 2
Westin St. Francis Hotel
San Francisco, California
International Society for Cellular Therapy (ISCT)
10th Annual Meeting
May 7-10
Dublin, Ireland
American Association of Blood Banks (AABB)
57th Annual Meeting
Oct. 23-26
Baltimore
2005
2005 Tandem BMT Meetings
(Combined ASBMT and IBMTR/ABMTR annual meetings)
Feb. 10-14
Keystone Resort
Keystone, Colorado
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Top
Stories |
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Scientists identify stem cells responsible
for regenerating damaged muscle tissue
Scientists at the Ottawa Health Research Institute have
identified a class of adult muscle stem cells, called CD45+
cells, that play a natural role in regeneration when they
receive signals in the form of a secreted protein known as Wnt.
Next, researchers plan to develop drugs that target the Wnt
signaling pathway to trigger the cells to divide and develop.
The findings – which could benefit people suffering from
neuromuscular diseases such as multiple sclerosis, amyotrophic
lateral sclerosis and cancer – were published in the June 27
issue of the journal Cell.
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Doctor who performed first successful bone
marrow transplant dies
Robert A. Good, M.D., Ph.D., the first doctor to perform a
bone marrow transplant, died June 13 at his home. He was 81. Dr.
Good’s patient for this first transplant, performed in 1968
while Dr. Good was working at the University of Minnesota, was a
4-month-old boy suffering from a genetic immune system disease
who received marrow from his sister. In addition to pioneering
bone marrow transplantation, Dr. Good’s research led to the
identification of T cells and B cells, and he served as
president of Sloan-Kettering Institute for Cancer Research in
New York City.
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Tulane University receives $4.3 million
federal grant for stem cell production and distribution
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded Tulane
University a five-year $4.3 million federal grant to replicate,
test and distribute adult stem cells to be used only in
preclinical work. The NIH says that by using stem cells from the
New Orleans center alone, scientists worldwide won’t have to
worry about the differences in batches that have hampered
research in the past. Tulane scientists are currently working
with cells from 199 donors, and they plan to be ready for
distribution within a few months.
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FDA warns hospital to stop experimenting
with stem cells
After doctors at Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, MI,
collected bone marrow stem cells from a 16-year-old boy’s
bloodstream and transfused them into his heart in an attempt to
regenerate muscle damaged by a heart attack, the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) launched an inquiry and warned the doctors
not to do more experiments. In May, the FDA turned down the
hospital’s request to try the procedure in 400 more patients,
asserting its regulatory authority in cases where cells are
manipulated outside the body or cells are being injected into a
different organ than the one from which they were drawn.
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“Designer” baby may hold key to curing
brother’s anemia
In an attempt to cure their son’s Diamond Blackfan anemia, a
couple in Great Britain gave birth June 16 to a boy who was
genetically matched, while still an IVF embryo, to his
4-year-old brother. The Reproductive Genetics Institute in
Chicago performed the work after Britain’s Human Fertilisation
and Embryology Authority refused the couple permission to
genetically select a tissue-match embryo. Chances of a tissue
match now are 98 percent, and if they match, doctors will
transplant stem cells taken from Jamie’s umbilical cord to his
older brother.
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Korean scientists develop human embryonic
stem cells in the bodies of mice
Maria BioTech in Seoul has produced 11 healthy transgenic
baby mice after injecting mice embryos with human embryonic stem
cells carrying enhanced green fluorescent proteins (EGFP), and
five of these mice showed stem cells bearing EGFP genes in their
hearts, livers, kidneys and cartilage. In addition, all the
progeny of these five mice carried the stem cell genes. |
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Britain grants first license for human embryo research
Britain’s Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA)
has granted a license to the Roslin Institute to carry out
research on donated excess embryos created as a result of in
vitro fertilization treatment, as well as create embryos by
artificially stimulating donated human eggs. HFEA hopes the
license will help the Roslin Institute improve the technology to
produce and maintain human embryonic stem cells in culture. The
stem cells created will be used for research purposes only,
including possible testing of the safety and effectiveness of
new medicines and the study of congenital disease. |
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Xenotransplanted stem cells may not require immunosuppression
therapy
Stem cells derived from the umbilical cord mucous connective
tissue (UCM) of pigs and transplanted into the brains of rats
survived six weeks without immune suppression of the host
animals, according to research by scientists at Kansas State
University that was published in the June issue of Experimental
Neurology. In addition, at four weeks posttransplantation, the
UCM cells engrafted into the brain along the injection tract,
and at six weeks posttransplantation, 10 percent of the UCM
cells recovered had migrated away from the injection site into
the region just ventral to the corpus callosum. |
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 A
Word from President Joseph Antin, M.D.
I was warned in no uncertain terms that this lead
message will set the tone for the ASBMT eNews and
that refraining from cliché was critical for a successful
start. So, I am going to say nothing at all about this new
missive. You are smart and will be able to figure out for
yourself what we are trying to accomplish.
What I would like to do first is to take a moment and
brief you on the activities of the Blood and Marrow
Transplantation Clinical Trials Network (CTN). For 30-plus
years, we have been performing stem cell transplants in
the United States. We have accomplished a tremendous
amount – both clinically and scientifically. However, our
accomplishments are less than our potential. If I think
back on the care of patients in the transplant unit in the
late 1970s and early 1980s, I am impressed both by how far
we have come in improving outcomes but also by how little
has changed in the process.
I believe the reasons for conservatism in our practice is
that each center has relatively modest internal experience
and resources – each patient is precious, and it is hard
to change things without evidence that the change is
useful. Many centers developed internal practices that
were more religious than scientific. In the past few
years, it became clear to many of us that the European
centers had overcome this intellectual conservatism and
were collaborating aggressively. They were getting
interesting multicenter trials done.
In the United States, the cooperative groups gave little
attention to trials that were intrinsic to transplantation
biology and outcomes. We seem to have matured to the point
where collaborative transplantation medicine and science
have a real chance of succeeding. Our effort to redress
our collaborative deficiencies is the CTN.
The CTN was organized with the financial and
organizational help of the NIH – both NCI and NHLBI – and
consists of a steering committee of transplant center
representatives selected by competitive review, as well as
a central coordinating center composed of the triumvirate
of IBMTR, NMDP and Emmes Corp. The group has been meeting
now for about two years.
Much of the early work was organizational, but the CTN is
now poised to get started on four major studies:
a randomized comparison of voriconazole and fluconazole to
prevent fungal infections after transplantation
a comparative study of autologous and nonmyeloablative
transplantation in myeloma
a similar trial comparing autologous and nonmyeloablative
transplantation in low-grade lymphomas
a randomized trial comparing peripheral blood stem and
marrow stem cells in unrelated donor transplantation.
Concomitantly, work is under way on innovative therapies
for GVHD, Hodgkin’s disease, aplastic anemia and CML.
These studies will be open to members of the steering
committee but, importantly, to non-member institutions
that express an interest in participating. It is very
likely that the work done by the members of the CTN and
collaborating nonmembers will provide answers to important
questions in transplantation. It is critical that all
members of our Society support this important initiative
and participate.
-Joe
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Clinical
Research |
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Use of allogeneic stem cell transplantation for metastatic
breast cancer deserves further research
Using donor stem cells to treat metastatic breast cancer may
delay disease progression in some patients, according to
research conducted at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson
Cancer Center and presented at the annual meeting of the
American Society of Clinical Oncology. While the study, which
involved examination of several multi-national cancer
registries, is not statistically conclusive with only 75
patients analyzed, it appears that patients who experienced
graft-vs-host disease also benefited from a graft-vs-breast
cancer effect.
Researchers uncover faster stem cells
By injecting stem cells directly into the bone marrow of
mice rather than into the bloodstream, researchers at the
University Health Network in Toronto have uncovered a new type
of stem cell that produces new blood cells in two weeks, rather
than three to four. These cells could strengthen the immune
systems of people weakened by cancer treatment or transplants by
speeding up the production of replacement cells. Results of the
study were posted in an advance online publication of the
journal Nature Medicine.
Stem cell research a step closer in New South Wales
Human embryonic research is a step closer to reality in New
South Wales after a 68 to 21 vote in its favor by the state’s
lower house of parliament. The bill includes a proposed ban on
creating or implanting a human embryo clone but allows research
to be conducted on surplus IVF embryos.
Geron Corp. receives patent on technology to purify human
embryonic stem cells
Last month, Geron Corp. in Menlo Park, Calif., was granted a
patent covering pluripotent stem cells that are engineered to
permit the elimination of any undifferentiated cells that might
remain after production of a batch of differentiated cells. The
technology lets them eliminated undifferentiated human embryonic
stem cells while leaving differentiated cells unaffected. |
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Pharmaceutical
News |
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Orphan Medical sells Busulfex to ESP Pharma
To raise money to further develop and market Xyrem, its
cataplexy drug, Orphan Medical has sold worldwide rights to
Busulfex (busulfan) Injection to ESP Pharma Inc. for about $29.5
million. The patent-protected product was approved for use in
the United States in 1999 and has since received approvals in
several other countries. |
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Association
News |
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ASBMT eNEWS reports latest developments in BMT field
This edition of ASBMT eNEWS, dated July 1, 2003, is
the inaugural issue of an electronic newsletter that will be
arriving by broadcast e-mail on the first business day of each
month. Published by the American Society for Blood and Marrow
Transplantation, the newsletter is designed for BMT
investigators and clinicians – as well as physicians who refer
transplant patients – and is supported by an independent
educational grant from Roche Pharmaceuticals.
The editor is Andrew L. Pecora, M.D., chair and director of The
Cancer Center at Hackensack University Medical Center. ASBMT
eNEWS is distributed free of charge.
2004 Tandem BMT Meetings will be Feb. 13-17 in Orlando
The combined annual meetings of ASBMT and the International
Bone Marrow Transplant Registry/Autologous Blood & Marrow
Transplant Registry (IBMTR/ABMTR) will be Feb. 13-17 at Coronado
Springs Resort in Orlando, FL.
In addition to the five days of scientific sessions and
workshops for BMT clinicians and investigators, parallel
conferences will be held for clinical research associates,
oncology nurses, pharmacists and BMT center medical directors
and administrators. Online advance registration and abstract
submission will open in early August 2003.
Online Job and Fellowship Connections help find opportunities
ASBMT now offers on its Web site both a Job Connection and a
Fellowship Connection – online services for those seeking and
offering BMT employment and training opportunities.
JOB CONNECTION allows health professionals to search for
positions, post a resume or advertise a job opening. All
categories of BMT employment are included: physicians,
investigators, laboratory technicians, nurses and
administrators. Much like classified want ads in a newspaper or
journal, the employment listings can be searched free of charge
by job seekers, and there is a nominal fee for those announcing
available positions. The fee can be paid online by credit card.
FELLOWSHIP CONNECTION enables health professionals to search for
or post information about training programs. Through interactive
menus, searches can be narrowed to specific regions of the
country, type of fellowship (clinical, basic research, clinical
research), type of program (allogeneic, autologous, both), type
of patients (adults, pediatric, both), length of program, start
dates and other descriptive information.
Conference on contracting, cost containment and reimbursement
The 5th annual conference on transplantation contracting,
cost containment and reimbursement is scheduled for Sept. 29-30
in San Francisco. The annual conference is produced by the
Center for Business Intelligence and co-sponsored by ASBMT. An
agenda and registration information (including a discount of
$300 to $400 for ASBMT members) are now online.
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