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UCLA Lymphoma Program Director Dr. Lauren Pinter-Brown shares her view of the event by saying:
“We felt it vital to the program’s future success to honor the patients, family and supporters who have been treated at UCLA. While the fight for a cure continues, there have also been great successes and we want to celebrate for the people who we have treated – all of who we now call our family!”
Dr. Pinter-Brown earned her MD from the UCLA medical school and went on to complete her fellowship at USC. She joined UCLA’s faculty in 1990 working at the UCLA Center for the Health Services until 2005. In 2005 she became the Director of the UCLA Lymphoma Program in the Division of Hematology-Oncology and began overseeing and performing research to optimize and improve the treatment of lymphoma.
Today Dr. Pinter-Brown is continuing the fight to cure this debilitating disease and is working hard to make sure all of the patients receive the excellent care they need to combat and defeat Lymphoma Cancer.
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Dr. John Timmerman’s laboratory studies immunologic approaches to treating lymphomas and related cancers. The immune system can be taught to recognize tumor-associated protein antigens, and under certain conditions, to kill cancer cells bearing those antigens. Just as the immune system can distinguish pathogens from normal body cells, it can, when properly stimulated, attack malignant cells selectively. The principal effectors of immunity are T-cells, antibodies (produced by B-cells), and innate immune cells (natural killer cells and macrophages). Timmerman’s lab is working to devise and test strategies to arm each of these immune effectors to kill malignant lymphoma cells. Approaches aimed at weakening the defenses of lymphoma cells against immunologic attack or other pro-apoptotic stimuli are also under investigation. Timmerman’s lab tests these approaches using small animal models, cultured human lymphoma cells and clinical trials.
His recent projects include:Targeting toll-like receptors agonists to tumors via linkage to lymphoma-specific monoclonal antibodies. Delineating the molecular mechanisms of tumor destruction by toll-like receptor agonists. Enhancing tumor antigen vaccine immunogenicity using novel carrier protein conjugation chemistries Producing tumor immune evasion of T-cells by expression of programmed death ligand 1. Characterizing novel anti-CD20 antibodies against B-cell lymphomas Producing dendritic cell vaccines containing antibody-coated tumor cells. Killing tumors by antibody-interferon fusion proteins using Interleukin-21 as a treatment for B-cell lymphomas.
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Dr. Sven de Vos's research is focused on novel approaches to treat several types of lymphoma.
One project focuses on a very aggressive form of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma called mantle cell lymphoma. So far, research has shown that patients with the most aggressive form of mantle cell lymphoma over-express a certain gene called PIM 1. Over-expression of the PIM 1 gene also is found in about one-third of diffuse large B-cell lymphomas. de Vos hypothesizes that the over-expression of the PIM 1 gene in combination with the over-expression of another gene, Cyclin D1, are major factors responsible for the development of aggressive mantle cell lymphoma. He hopes to prove this theory in upcoming experiments in animal models. If his assumption about the role of the PIM 1 and Cyclin D1 genes proves correct, future experiments will involve attempting to shut down these two genes, which de Vos may find are the Achilles heels of mantle cell lymphoma.
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