Physicians and scientists at the Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center are transforming how we understand, treat, and ultimately cure blood cancers including leukemia and lymphoma.
Their work spans from basic science to delivering innovative care through clinical trials. Thanks to donor support, these efforts are accelerating faster than ever. Your gifts serve as vital funding for our researchers to pursue bold ideas.
Directed by Huda Salman, MD, PhD, the Brown Center for Immunotherapy is conducting clinical trials to translate research into new ways to treat patients on clinical trials. These efforts have led to first-in-human studies, meaning IU is the first place in the world to offer these promising new treatments.
In past research, Salman developed a cellular therapy that targets a protein called CD4. Salman and colleagues have found the customized T-cells destroy cancer cells without harming healthy cells. Using this CAR T-cell immunotherapy, Salman is now leading three investigator-initiated trials for T-cell leukemia and lymphomas, chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML), and for acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Additionally, Salman’s team has at least three additional products in the pipeline that can go into clinical trials as soon as funding is available.
Rita Assi, MD, is leading a range of clinical trials aimed at improving outcomes for patients with leukemia and lymphoma.
One trial developed by Assi combines an immunotherapy called pembrolizumab with ATRA—a vitamin A derivative—to enhance immune response in relapsed B-cell lymphoma (both Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin). ATRA is taken in a pill form and the research indicates it makes the lymphoma cells more susceptible to the immunotherapy. Additionally, the trial is specifically for patients whose previous treatments have failed and offers another option for those who do not qualify for more intensive treatments.
Assi is also launching a trial that removes a commonly used chemotherapy drug shown to actually aid cancer cells in some AML patients. Her research has shown the specific medication in fact helps the cancerous cells in some AML patients. The idea for her clinical trial is to use a different combination treatment that removes this specific medication.
Utpal Davé, MD, is leading research to uncover the genetic drivers of T-cell leukemia and lymphoma in the laboratory and clinic to try to advance care for patients and develop novel therapies for both children and adults with these aggressive blood cancers.
His lab is at the forefront of understanding the oncogene LMO2, a common player in T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Working with collaborators, Davé is exploring ways to target this protein.
Central to these efforts is a growing biorepository of patient samples, which offers a valuable resource for researchers to study disease biology and therapeutic response. More than 60 patient samples have been banked as a resource for IU research and collaborators.
Additionally, Davé is leveraging his knowledge of T-cells and the immune system to develop a novel immunotherapy platform that has broad applications to the treatment of diverse cancers. Davé is currently pursuing a patent application on the new invention. Philanthropic support could then help accelerate this platform to the clinic.
Bridging the gap between clinical care and laboratory research, Stephanie Hurwitz, MD, PhD, studies the biology and transplantation of hematopoietic stem cells. Clinically, Hurwitz is a hematopathologist, which means she examines blood and tissue samples to diagnose patients with leukemia and lymphomas.
Stem cell transplantation is often the only curative option for patients with aggressive leukemias and lymphomas, yet the long-term outcomes remain poor for many patients. Hurwitz’s lab is developing strategies to strengthen each phase of the transplant process: from cell collection and engraftment to enhancing stem cell resilience.
Additionally, her team leads a multi-institutional study using AI-powered computational models based on routine clinical data to predict which donors will have enough stem cells ready for collection for transplant. This work could help doctors make better decisions to improve timing for transplant and other strategies for cell collection to improve overall transplant outcomes.
Maegan Capitano, PhD, is focused on hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for blood cancers and disorders. Hematopoietic stem cells are the cells that generate all blood cells and immune cells. Cells for transplant can be collected from a donor’s bone marrow or blood or from umbilical cord blood.
Capitano is focused on expanding hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for a broader population of patients through umbilical cord blood. It offers unique advantages: it’s often discarded but can be collected in public banks, there’s no risk to the donor, it doesn’t require as close of a match to the patient as other sources, and it carries a lower risk of complications like graft-versus-host disease.
This transplantation method was developed at IU by the late Hal Broxmeyer, PhD, the groundbreaking researcher considered the father of cord blood transplantation and therapies.
One disadvantage of umbilical cord blood is that each donation is a limited volume at collection, which often restricts its use to pediatric patients. Capitano’s lab is focused on improving the viability of cord blood stem cells to increase use in adult patients.
Once cord blood cells are removed, they encounter stress pathways. Her team is developing methods to maintain a “stem-like environment,” helping the cells retain their ability to multiply and produce different blood cells. One way her lab has found ways to reduce cellular stress and improve immune recovery after transplant is by mimicking the low-oxygen conditions of the bone marrow.
Another IU research effort is focused on improving stem cell therapies. Jim Ropa, PhD, and his lab are looking at what makes hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells function. These are the cells that can become the different types of blood cells and mature immune cells that make up the blood system. By identifying ways to improve their function, Ropa’s lab hopes to identify and predict the donor units of blood—including umbilical cord blood, bone marrow, and mobilized peripheral blood—that are the ideal units to use in these different cell therapies. These insights could lead to more effective therapies and better donor matching for stem cell transplants.
Ropa is examining how the varying oxygen levels that blood cells encounter (such as the lower oxygen in the bone marrow and higher oxygen in the bloodstream) can affect both normal and cancerous blood cells. Ropa’s research indicates that cells may use the different oxygen levels to govern changes in their function. Understanding how cells work in different oxygen tension could lead to new ways to enhance cell therapies and target treatment-resistant cancer cells.
Supported by a National Cancer Institute career development grant, Casey Katerndahl, PhD, is investigating how mutations in the GATA2 gene increase the risk of leukemia. This gene is vital in development of normal blood cells and the immune system. Some people are born with mutations in the GATA2 gene, and they experience immune deficiencies and have about a 70% likelihood of developing leukemia or a precancerous disorder.
Katerndahl’s lab has developed a model replicating the most common inherited GATA2 mutation that is associated with leukemia. His work aims to uncover how this gene mutation impacts the development of the immune system and then how these mutations lead to leukemia—and ultimately—how to intervene to prevent or treat the cancer.
As a new IU investigator, Katerndahl is leveraging the cancer center’s core research facilities and the Cancer Drug Discovery and Development Accelerator (CD3A) initiative to accelerate his research and novel therapeutic strategies to the clinic. Understanding the basic biology is the first step, but Katerndahl and others have their eye on patient impact.
The advances happening at IU are made possible by the generosity of donors like you. Your support is crucial in helping the IU Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center team find new discoveries for these blood diseases.
To learn more about supporting IU leukemia and lymphoma research, contact Amber Kleopfer Senseny at 317-278-4510 or akleopfe@iu.edu.
