WmProgram.com
Title
Waldenstrom's Macroglobulinemia Program
Description
Waldenström's macroglobulinemia (WM) is an uncommon B-cell lymphoma that affects 5-6,000 Americans each year. Despite the description of this disease by Dr. Jan Waldenström in 1944, very little progress into the pathogenesis and treatment of this disease had occurred. In 1999, in an effort to advance our understanding and management of this disease, the WM Program was organized at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI) with the help of patients, DFCI support staff, clinical and basic science investigators; in 2005, the program was officially named the Bing Center for Waldenstroms Research in honor of Dr. Peter Bing. Its founding has spearheaded national and international efforts to bring innovative basic and clinical studies to WM. As a result of these efforts, over 20 centers in the U.S., Canada, Western Europe and Australia have been organized as part of the WM Clinical Trials Group (WMCTG) based at the DFCI, and chaired by Dr. Steven Treon. Studies examining novel therapeutics including antibody based immunotherapies alone and in combination with chemotherapy or immunomodulating drugs, as well as radioimmunotherapy, and proteosome inhibitors have been initiated as part of the WMCTG.
In addition to conducting clinical trials in WM, the Bing Center has initiated several Institutional Review Board (IRB) approved patient centered basic and translational studies in collaboration with centers in the U.S., Canada, and Europe aimed at i) understanding the genetic basis and pathogenesis of WM; ii) understanding the mechanisms of action and resistance for immunologically based therapies directed at WM and other B-cell malignancies; and iii) the identification of novel serotherapy targets for WM. Among the highlights of these studies is the identification of cell surface and secreted antigens which inhibit antibody directed complement and effector cell mediated cytotoxicity of malignant B-cells; critical contribution of position 158 polymorphisms in patient Fc gamma RIIIa receptor (CD16) expression for the clinical activity of monoclonal antibody therapy in patients with WM; and identification of novel targets for the monoclonal antibody therapy of WM. In addition, ongoing studies with encouraging preliminary findings have resulted from studies aimed at identifying genetic abnormalities in WM through use of spectral karyotyping, comparative genomic hybridization and VDJH immunoglobulin sequencing studies.
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- Dana Farber Waldenstrom's Program
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