Where the money goes-Leukemia and Lymphoma Society

[Guest guest]

From nhl-info

Date: Tue, 31 Jul 2001 16:14:55 -0400

From: " Karl Schwartz " <karlamo@...>

Subject: LLS: where the money goes

I received this explanation when I asked how much LLS

spends on lymphoma

research, compared to leukemia. -Karl

==

Dear Mr. Schwartz:

Thank you for contacting The Leukemia & Lymphoma

Society

(Society) through

your recent e-mail regarding the percentage of funding

that

goes toward

lymphoma research.

Prior to the name change of The Society in February

2000,

The Leukemia

Society of America was and is dedicated to finding

cures

for leukemia,

lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease and myeloma and improving

the

quality of life of

patients and their families. The Society changed its

name

to The Leukemia

& Lymphoma Society to reach the maximum number of

patient's

diagnosed with

Lymphoma.

The following information comes from our Vice

President of

Research:

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society last year spent

~$6 million on high-impact lymphoma research,

About $2 million on normal lymphocyte research (it is

quite

important

to know how normal cells behave before they become

lymphomas)

about $12 million on high-impact leukemia research,

approximately $8 million on bone marrow and stem cell

transplantation

(which impacts those lymphoma patients who may undergo

transplantation

to cure lymphoma)

and the remaining $12 million on how normal myeloid

cells

develop

(the " other " type of white blood cells besides

lymphocytes), general

mechanisms of how cells regulate genes involved in

regulating white blood

cell growth and development and general research into

cancer biology.

These are rough estimates and we will be sitting down

to

better track

the categories of research spending. However, it is

important to note

that discoveries in one type of blood-related cancer

may

many times

have great impact on the understanding and treatment

of

others.

For example the use of Rituxan in NHL has led to

trials of

Rituxan

in chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

Of recent important news for the Society is that one

of our

new Specialized

Centers of Research has a large component of lymphoma

research. This center

is funded for $1.5 million for each of the next 5

years for

a total funding

of $7.5 million! A brief quote from our press release

describing this new

SCOR follows:

Targeting Molecules To Kill Lymphoma Cells

The first SCOR grant outside of the United Sates was

awarded to Jerry M.

, Ph.D., and his team at the Walter and Eliza

Hall

Institute (WEHI) in

Melbourne, Australia. The WEHI SCOR team, which

includes

collaborators at

the Royal Melbourne Hospital, are attempting to

develop new

medicines for

lymphoma.

Nearly a half-million Americans live with lymphoma,

and

incidence rates for

non-Hodgkin's lymphoma have nearly doubled since the

1970s.

About 63,600

Americans are diagnosed with lymphoma each year.

The Australian researchers will investigate how the

body's

normal process of

cellular death, called apoptosis, is regulated to

control

blood cell count.

By designing drugs that directly target the key

molecules

regulating

apoptosis, the team hopes to stimulate lymphoma cells

to

undergo programmed

death, either via treatment with the drug or in

combination

with

conventional chemotherapeutic agents. The research

could

lead to the

development of new medicines that efficiently

intervene and

kill

blood-cancer cells.

Dr. pioneered the use of transgenic models --

organisms into which DNA

has been introduced - in cancer research. He is well

known

for his work on

the genetic abnormalities of lymphoma, and he and his

colleagues have made

significant discoveries in Burkitt's lymphoma and

other

related disease

areas.

I hope this information is helpful to you. If you

continue

to have

questions, please call our toll-free number at

1-800-955-4572 between the

hours of 9 and 6pm EST, where an Information

Specialist

will assist you.

Sincerely,

Tammi B. Haber C.S.W.

Senior Information Specialist

Health Care Navigator

1311 Mamaroneck Avenue

3rd Floor

White Plains, NY 10605

914-821-8891

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