Medical Scientific Research Grants

Most of our research funds have been dedicated to basic research grants as described below. We have a rigorous process of application, evaluation by our Scientific Advisory Committee, and approval by the Board of Trustees. We are constantly looking for new applications for new research projects. (See listings below)

Sponsorships (Bethesda Workshop, Athens Conference)

In 2000, the IWMF in cooperation with the NCI, sponsored the first Workshop on WM and invited the 21 most prominent researchers in the US and several other countries for a 2-day intensive exploration of treatments for WM.

A follow up Conference is being held in Athens Greece in September of 2002 which will greatly increase the number of researchers, expand the international exposure, and focus on diagnosis, prognosis, treatment, and the search for a cure. The Proceedings of this workshop will be available.

Relationships-Partnerships

All of the members of the IWMF Scientific Advisory Committee are professional medical scientists and researchers and are attached to major institutions with which the IWMF seeks to develop long-term relationships of mutual support

Clinical Trials

At the present time, the IWMF is not funding clinical trials, although this policy is always subject to change. The feeling of the Board of Trustees is that there is a lot of work being done in Clinical Trials with 50-70 Trials in progress at any time, which include WM patients, with currently available drugs and protocols.

The Board has felt that what was still lacking in our development of understanding was basic medical and scientific research into the causes of the disease, new potential drugs and protocols, so this has been the focus for the IWMF Research Fund.

 

Research Fellowships

Not yet in operation, the Board is exploring Fellowships as a way to encourage more young talent to work in the field of WM research. As of this writing, Fellowships have not been approved.

Bone Marrow and Blood Sample Bank

The Board has tentatively approved and is in the process of setting up a repository of Bone Marrow and Blood Samples of WM patients, with a continuing supply of fresh material donated by patients, and available at any time to researchers working in this field. The problem is that WM is so rare that researchers often have difficulty obtaining enough fresh samples for research projects. Our goal is to do everything we can to encourage WM research and make it as easy as possible for medical scientists to obtain the material they need.

The International Waldenstrom’s Macroglobulinemia Foundation (IWMF) offers support for basic scientific research that will further knowledge of the cause, diagnosis, treatment and cure for the disease Waldenstrom’s Macroglobulinemia. Research proposals may be submitted at any time. Each proposal will receive consideration from our Scientific Advisory Committee and the IWMF Board of Trustees.

We anticipate funding grant awards in a range of $25,000 to $50,000, for a one-year project period.

Interested researchers may receive an application packet by contacting the IWMF Research Committee Chairperson, Judith May, at judith.may@verizon.net

The IWMF is a non-profit organization which was formed to provide support and information to Waldenstrom’s patients, caregivers, families and friends; and to raise funds to support research leading toward better understanding, treatment and cure for the disease.

 

Submissions: Research proposals are considered twice annually, and should be received at the IWMF office by February 1 and August 1 each year. Following the three-month review process, awards will be made to successful applicants. However, there can be exceptions made to these deadlines and proposals are welcome at all times.

Review Process: Research proposals are reviewed by members of the IWMF Scientific Advisory Committee. Their comments and recommendations are considered by the IWMF Board of Trustees in making the funding decisions. Authors of proposals will be notified by the IWMF Research Committee as soon as a decision is made. The Grant Award Agreement is then sent to the research institute for signature by the appropriate, authorized financial officer, and signed by the IWMF President and Treasurer prior to funds being awarded. A Project Officer will be appointed by the IWMF Research Committee to follow the progress of the project, and is the IWMF point of contact for the Principle Investigator.

Range of Grant Awards: IWMF anticipates funding grants in the range of $25,000 to $50,000, depending on complexity and goals, and on the funds available for research projects.

Project length: IWMF anticipates research projects will have a twelve-month project period.

Payment policy: The IWMF Treasurer will provide 50% of the approved budget amount at the start of the project, 25% after receipt of the six-month progress report, and the remaining 25% after receipt of the final report. An addition of 8% maximum is permitted for indirect costs.

Reporting requirements: The six-month report should describe project activities during that period and any findings that have occurred, or any new information or problems in reaching project goals. A final report is required no later than two months after the project ending date which shall describe the same information for the second six-month period, as well as an overall summary of major activities and findings as they relate to the stated goals of the project.

The following is the list of review criteria used by the IWMF Scientific Advisory Committee to evaluate research proposals:

What is your analysis of the proposed project’s overall applicability to furthering scientific knowledge of the cause, diagnosis, treatment, or cure for the disease Waldenstrom’s Macroglobulinemia?

Are the goals reasonable?

Is the technical approach valid?

Are key personnel sufficient in number, and qualifications, to undertake this project?

Are there any particular strengths or weaknesses that should be highlighted?

Are you aware of any similar studies recently completed or ongoing that parallel this proposal, or which would complement this proposal?

Is the budget reasonable and appropriate to costs for the proposed research activities to be performed?

Any other comments on any aspect of the proposal you think should be noted.

Summary Comments and your Recommendation to fund or not fund.

 

Mayo Clinic, Dr. Raphael Fonseca: January 2000

Title: A study of potentially important chromosomal and molecular abnormalities in the neoplastic B-cells of patients with WM.

Description: A study of stored and new bone marrow samples to determine the prevalence and significance of chromosomal translocations in WM patients as well as loss of tumor suppressor genes. Tests were made to determine the prevalence of chromosomal abnormalities. The findings were correlated with clinical pathologic features of the disease. Goal is a better understanding of the underlying hereditary and genetic abnormalities that could lead to new insights of disease pathogenesis and future targeted therapeutic approaches.

Wayne State University, Karmanos Cancer Institute, Dr. Ayad Al-Katib: January 2000

Title: A study of the effect of bryostatin l on 2-CdA, and to determine dose and schedule of 2CdA with bryostatin 1 in WSU-WM (a WM cell line) xenografts. Bryostatin l is a natural product, derived from the marine animal, Bugula Neritina.

Description: Hypothetically, WM is very close to chronic lymphocytic leukemia in B-cell differentiation. Therefore, Dr. Al-Katib believes that new treatment strategies used against CLL has merit for WM. In this study, the overall hypothesis is that bryostatin 1 increases the effect of 2CdA in treating WM. The goal of this study is to search for novel therapeutic agents to use in treatment of WM.

Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Dr. Steven P. Treon — January 2000

Title: Treatment of Waldenstrom’s Macroglobulinemia by antibody mediated immunotherapy and induction of tumor selective antigens.

Description: To develop an antibody-mediated immunotherapy for treating WM by identifying novel tumor selective antigens to target WM plasma cells, as well as identifying agents which could be used clinically to induce such plasma cell selective antigens. The study seeks to develop more successful therapies to use with WM.

Mayo Clinic, Dr. Vincent Rajkumar — January 2000

Title: Blood vessel development and cell division and growth in Waldenstrom’s Macroglobulinemia.

Description: Seeks to determine the degree of blood vessel development and its prognostic value in WM. Wants to determine if WM is dependent on blood supply for its growth, and to assess if increased blood vessels lead to decreased life span, as is the case with myeloma. Will also study the proteins that are important in producing numerous small blood vessels in the bone marrow and lymph nodes, and will then test for proteins that promote blood vessel growth to identify which cells make these proteins, and which proteins seem more abundant in bone marrow samples. This study will help in the search for new and novel approaches that would target blood vessels in the treatment of WM.