UAMS To Study Genetics of Disease

UAMS Myeloma Institute Receives $4.5 Million To Study Genetics of Disease

LITTLE ROCK – The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences’ Myeloma Institute for Research and Therapy has received $4.5 million from a San Francisco couple to establish a one-of-a kind laboratory for research into the genetic profile of multiple myeloma, a cancer of the bone marrow.

Stephen and Nancy Grand committed the $4.5 million for in-depth genomic and proteomic studies that are expected to clarify key disease mechanisms and details about myeloma that will be translated into clinical care. Genomics is the study of the genes in a living organism and their activities and interactions with each other and the environment. Proteomics is the study of the level and activity of an organism’s proteins

Stephen Grand has been treated at the Myeloma Institute since 2006. Last year, the Grands donated $300,000 to the Myeloma Institute toward development of ellipticine, a plant alkaloid as a new therapeutic agent.

The Nancy and Stephen Grand Laboratory for Myeloma Proteomics, headed by Ricky D. Edmondson, Ph.D., will be the first in the country with sophisticated mass spectrometry equipment dedicated to thorough analysis of the proteins produced by myeloma tumor cells and bone marrow cells. The new Myeloma Institute laboratory will be located in UAMS’ Arkansas Cancer Research Center.

New techniques applied to the Myeloma Institute’s vast archive of patient tissue samples will yield data that will enable researchers to more effectively use current treatments and develop interventions based on unique features of each patient’s disease.

John D. Shaughnessy Jr., Ph.D., professor of medicine will lead the studies. Shaughnessy is director of Basic Research and director of the Lambert Laboratory of Myeloma Genetics at the Myeloma Institute.

“I am extremely grateful to Stephen and Nancy Grand for their tremendous vote of confidence in our research strategies and vision. We believe this research will lead to therapies that will increase the number of patients who remain disease-free long-term and can be considered cured,” Shaughnessy said.

Myeloma, also called multiple myeloma, is the second largest of the blood cancers, affecting an estimated 750,000 people worldwide.

“Having been treated at the Myeloma Institute for the last year, my wife and I have come to know Dr. Barlogie, Dr. Shaughnessy and many of the staff, and observe the dedication of the entire organization to the treatment and hopefully the cure of myeloma,” Stephen Grand said.

“We feel that supporting the research efforts here at UAMS is the best investment we can make in furthering progress in this important battle and we are confident that in time, major progress will be made,” Grand said. “We know that many pioneering efforts have already been achieved and we know more will be accomplished in the future. It is our pleasure to participate in the effort.”
Bart Barlogie, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Myeloma Institute said the hallmark of the institute has been a focus on a cure.

“About 10 percent of our patients have been continuously in remission for 15 years, and we have evidence of progress that should translate into 10-year survival for up to 50 percent of our patients,” Barlogie said. “As we are now able, through Stephen and Nancy Grand’s generosity, to further dissect the nuances of myeloma, I see us better equipped to fine-tune treatment to assure longevity.”

http://www.uams.edu/update/absolutenm/templates/myeloma/myeloma_news.asp?articleid=6561&zoneid=132

Annual 2007 Mayo Clinic Checkup

It seems almost impossible my wife and I were sitting in my doctor's office at Mayo Clinic day before yesterday morning then later that day rode the bus out to a Target store where we avoided being out in a thirty minute torrential downpour thunder storm. Now, today I am sitting back here in Columbus writing this update to my web log. Of course I left out the colossal weather related confusion at the airport in Atlanta which caused us to experience one terminal change, five gate changes, and three time changes which added two hours to a two hour layover. I suppose it could have been worse but at the time, it seemed pretty bad since it wasn't just our flight having this problem. I am sure this will not help Delta's already bad business situation because the Delta employees didn't seem to be dealing with this fiasco very effectively which I am sure will cause some customers who might have been unsure about doing business with Delta to become convinced not to do any more business with Delta. I'm not one of those. I'm pretty much of a died in the wool Deltacrat.

If you are reading this, I am sure you are curious what my doctor at Mayo Clinic had to say day before yesterday morning. Well, I'm not going to give you a lot of technical jargon for a change. Basically, that is just a bunch of technical mumbo jumbo only cancer doctors and cancer patients seem to be interested in. What you probably would like to know is that what I was told wasn't totally good or totally bad. If you have been in an airport lately, I'm sure you have heard the homeland security announcement where they tell you we are currently in condition orange. Well, my condition is currently in yellow - not green and not red. We are going to wait and see what happens with my blood work over the next couple of months to determine whether it is moving to red or green. It may become necessary to begin treatment with a new anti-myeloma medication if it moves to red. In other words, if I am just experiencing a speed bump in the road then we will just keep on keeping on. If it is a change in direction then I will have to get started with drug therapy.

That's as plain I can make it without using a lot of technical jargon.

Thanks for your continued prayers, cards, letters, and words of encouragement. And thank you for continuing to check by here from time to time.