Pediatric oncologist wins $500,000 research grant

Dr. Eric Chow has won a three-year, $500,000 grant from the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS). Chow, a pediatric oncologist in the Hutchinson Center’s Clinical Research Division and at Seattle Children’s, is among 20 researchers nationwide to share $12 million in grants under the society’s Translational Research Program.

Chow, also of the Public Health Sciences Division’s Cancer Epidemiology Research Cooperative, will use the grant to study long-term and late effects of blood cancer therapies. Specifically, his grant will fund research into determining the effectiveness of dexrazoxane in preventing anthracycline-related cardiomyopathy.

"Given the increasing number of childhood cancer survivors, we believe it is of paramount importance to minimize late effects of otherwise successful cancer therapy," Chow said. "This study will help determine whether a potential intervention, such as dexrazoxane, can prevent or at least minimize side effects to the heart among children following chemotherapy and radiation."

The LLS program is designed to help accelerate the movement of promising discoveries from the lab to the clinic in four areas of high unmet medical need in blood cancers:

• Malignant stem cells in acute myelogenous leukemia and myelodysplastic syndromes
• Novel therapeutic strategies for noncutaneous T-cell malignancies
• Development of therapeutic strategies for high-risk myeloma patients
• Mechanisms underlying long-term and late effects resulting from cancer treatment and the development of measures to significantly reduce or prevent these toxicities.

Founded in 1949, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society works to cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families. LLS funds blood cancer research around the world and provides free information and support services.