December 29, 2008

Dear Members and Supporters of the T.J. Martell Foundation for Leukemia, Cancer, and AIDS

Research:
We are writing at the end of the year to thank you for your continued commitment to the Pediatric Cancer and Leukemia Research Program at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles. Your funding is vitally important for our quest to cure children with leukemia and cancer. The following highlights some of our accomplishments in the past year.

Neuroblastoma.
Neuroblastoma, a tumor of the sympathetic nervous system (outside the brain), is one of the most common solid tumors in infants and children. Drs. Robert Seeger and Shahab Asgharzadeh continue to develop gene-based tests that can be used clinically to predict how patients will do. They also worked with an international group to provide the first identification of a gene that renders individuals susceptible for getting aggressive neuroblastoma. Drs. Yves DeClerck, Leonid Metelitsa, Asgharzadeh, and Seeger have discovered that neuroblastoma cells can “turn on” inflammation in a way that tumor cell growth and spread is promoted. This research is resulting in development of new and potentially more effective treatments.

Brain Tumors.
Brain tumors are the most frequent solid cancer and also the most common cause of cancer-related death in children. Dr. Asgharzadeh, using microarray “gene chips” discovered genes whose expression (activity) can be used to determine the chance of survival for children with medulloblastoma. Dr. Gregory Shackleford has developed a novel model for medulloblastoma through genetic engineering of mice. This will be very useful for developing new treatments that target genes and pathways responsible for medulloblastoma. Dr. Leonid Metelitsa has developed a new immunotherapy for brain tumors that uses oral vaccination and that appears effective in mice. Dr. Jonathan Finlay continues his innovative clinical treatment, termed “Head Start”, for young children with brain tumors that achieves cures without using radiation treatment.

Leukemia.
Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is the most frequent type of cancer in children and is seen throughout adulthood as well. Therapeutic advances over the past 40 years have made ALL a curable disease in 80% of cases, but in the remainder, a small number of leukemia cells become resistant to treatment and grow back. Drs. Markus Muschen, Nora Heisterkamp and John Groffen are investigating how leukemia cells can resist treatment and developing strategies for overcoming resistance.

Clinical testing of new treatments.
In the area of clinical trials, we test new therapies that are based upon laboratory findings. We have organized multi-institution consortia that specialize in testing new strategies for childhood neuroblastoma (www.nant.org), brain tumors, and leukemia (www.tacl.us/). Childrens Hospital Los Angeles is the only institution in the US that leads three clinical trials consortia.

Summary.
Funding from the T.J. Martell Foundation has provided and continues to provide “venture capital” to establish outstanding groups of investigators. Many of the advances that we have made and will continue to make are possible because of the consistent support of the T.J. Martell Foundation, which has allowed us to retain and recruit some of the best research scientists and clinical investigators.

Sincerely yours,

Stuart E. Siegel, M.D.
Director, Pediatric Cancer Research Program
Director, Childrens Center for Cancer and Blood Diseases
Childrens Hospital Los Angeles

Robert C. Seeger, M.D.
Principal Investigator, Pediatric Cancer Research Program
Director, Cancer Research Program
Childrens Hospital Los Angeles Saban Research Institute