Research Roundup

New leukemia 'smart' drug tested

Scientists and physicians have been buoyed by strides in cancer research with the introduction of "smart" drugs, designed to fight in a new way--by blocking the signals that would otherwise tell cancer cells to grow uncontrollably.

The latest salvo in the fight against cancer comes in research conducted at Strong Memorial Hospital on a new leukemia drug, R115777. Results of a Phase I study, led by hematologist Jeff Lancet, for this drug were published in the June 1 edition of Blood, an oncology journal. Tested on 34 patients, the drug was less toxic than traditional chemotherapy. In addition, 30 percent of the patients who took the drug went into partial or complete remission.

Transfusion mystery unraveled

Medical Center researchers have discovered why patients who receive blood-platelet transfusions often spike fevers or develop life-threatening complications. The new research is the first to pinpoint the source of the transfusion-induced symptoms at the molecular level.

In a study co-authored by Richard Phipps, professor of oncology, microbiology and immunology, pediatrics, and environmental medicine, researchers identified a protein in the platelets that escapes while the platelets are in storage and this leakage may ultimately be responsible for wreaking havoc on the body. The research may allow scientists to design a safer approach to the use of blood platelets.

Childhood viruses pose risk

The chief causes of hospitalization for respiratory illness in young children--respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and parainfluenza virus--may be even more menacing than previously believed.

Caroline Hall, professor of pediatric medicine and infectious diseases at Strong Memorial Hospital, reports in a recent article in the New England Journal of Medicine that the re-emergence of these infections later in life can be deadly.

Despite four decades of research, there is still no effective means to control RSV or parainfluenza. Coming up with an RSV vaccine, Hall noted, is a national priority.

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