Research News

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" height=116 BGCOLOR="#000099" TEXT="#F7F7FF"> <div> <B><IMG SRC="09e71710.jpg" border=0 width="113" height="113" ALIGN="LEFT" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B><FONT SIZE="7" COLOR="#000080" FACE="Bookman Old Style" ><B>   </B></FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000099" FACE="Arial" ><I><B>               </B></I></FONT><FONT SIZE="7" COLOR="#FF6600" FACE="Bookman Old Style" ><B><U>TEAM  BILLY</U></B></FONT></div> <div> <B>              </B><A HREF="mailto:kgrey@marshallsterling.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto:kgrey@marshallsterling.com"><U><B>Ken Grey</B></U></A><B>, Team Leader</B><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FF6600" FACE="Arial" ><B> </B></FONT><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Arial" ><B>    </B></FONT><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Arial" ><B>www.teambilly.org</B></FONT></div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" height=364 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <I><B> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="172" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" ALIGN="LEFT" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 1454 WIDTH="166"><div> <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Home "><U><B><IMG SRC="0889b230.png" border=0 width="155" height="35" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><A HREF="2008.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="2008"><U><B><IMG SRC="09a9b460.png" border=0 width="155" height="70" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><A HREF="past_rides.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Past Rides"><U><B><IMG SRC="09c9b460.png" border=0 width="155" height="70" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id47.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Volunteers"><U><IMG SRC="0839b230.png" border=0 width="155" height="35" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id31.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Billy Grey Research Chair"><U><IMG SRC="0829b2d0.png" border=0 width="155" height="45" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A><A HREF="grants.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Grants"><U><IMG SRC="09b9b230.png" border=0 width="155" height="35" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="researchnews.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Research News"><U><IMG SRC="08c9b230.png" border=0 width="155" height="35" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id34.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Brain Tumor Facts"><U><IMG SRC="0849b230.png" border=0 width="155" height="35" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A><A HREF="friends.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Friends"><U><IMG SRC="08e9b230.png" border=0 width="155" height="35" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id28.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Photo Page"><U><IMG SRC="0859b230.png" border=0 width="155" height="35" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="2008_donate.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="2008"><U><IMG SRC="0869b230.png" border=0 width="155" height="35" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id33.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Questions?"><U><IMG SRC="0879b230.png" border=0 width="155" height="35" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></B></I></div> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <I><B>EXCITING RESEARCH NEWS!</B></I></div> <bR> <div> <B><U>UPDATE: </U></B><B><U>RESEARCH REVIEW!</U></B></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>I</B></I><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000099" FACE="Arial" ><I><B>dentification and Immunologic Targeting of CMV Antigens </B></I></FONT></div> <div> <I><B>Expressed in Malignant Gliomas</B></I></div> <bR> <div> <B>Grant Recipient</B></div> <div> Duane A. Mitchell, MD, Ph.D.</div> <div> Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina</div> <bR> <div> <B>"I think that Duane’s progress is impressive. He has generated significant data to support an association between CMV infection and gliomas. Based on brain tumor models in mice, he undertook a pilot clinical trial of combination in patients pf temazolomide, dendritic cell vaccination, and adoptive cellular therapy. The results of this early stage study appear quite promising, with evidence of tumor regression and a favorable time to progression. These findings will now form the basis of a second trial which will employ a further refinement of the method of generating T cells for adoptive therapy. Duane’s ability to translate principles from the murine models to glioma patients is unusual; there are few investigators who have demonstrated this capacity. I think that the BTS made a wise investment."</B></div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <I><B>-Grant Reviewer</B></I></div> <div> <I><B>June 2007</B></I></div> <bR> <div> <B>______________________________________________________________________</B></div> <bR> <div> <B><U>BILLY GREY RESEARCH GRANT APPROVED FOR 2007!</U></B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Your efforts and contributions to the 2</B><B>nd</B><B> Annual Billy Grey Ride for Research have made a difference.   Thanks to the over 200 riders, volunteers and sponsors, the event raised over $40,000!  The ride and ongoing donations have made possible a new $200,000 research grant awarded at the October Brain Tumor Society Symposium. This grant will enable the research team at the Cold Spring Harbor Institute to investigate genetic approaches to new therapeutic targets in brain cancer.  Billy's current grant is in a phase 1 clinical trial at Duke Medical showing some positive feedback.</B></div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>______________________________________________________________________</B></div> <bR> <div> <B><U>BILLY GREY RESEARCH GRANT 2005-2006</U></B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Research that was directly funded from  the </B><I><B>Billy Grey Research Chair (BTS),</B></I></div> <div> <I><B>Accelerate Brain Cancer Cure Foundation, and the NIH SPORE in Brain Cancer at Duke University Medical Center</B></I><B> received Institutional Review Board and FDA approval for a clinical trial targeting CMV in malignant gliomas.</B></div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>DUKE UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER</B></div> <div> <B>Duane A. Mitchell, M.D., Ph.D.</B></div> <div> <B>Assistant Research Professor of Neurosurgery</B></div> <div> <B>The Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center at Duke</B></div> <div> <B>Department of Surgery</B></div> <div> <B>Division of Neurosurgery</B></div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> February 10, 2006</div> <div> Dear Ken Grey,</div> <div>             I wanted to update you on the progress we have made in the research that you, your family, and The Brain Tumor Society have generously supported.  We just received Institutional Review Board and Food and Drug Administration approval for a clinical trial targeting human cytomegalovirus antigens expressed in malignant glioma.  This trial will use dendritic cell vaccination combined with transfer of lymphocytes after the administration of temozolomide in attempt to combine the killing capacity of chemotherapy with potent immunotherapy.  Dr. John H. Sampson and I are Co-Principal Investigators on this trial, and we have already begun enrollment of our first patients to receive this new therapy.</div> <bR> <div> <B>           </B>The funding for the Billy Grey Chair of Research has been invaluable in assisting the translation of this work from preclinical investigation to implementation in a clinical trial, and we are very optimistic about the benefits that this trial will bring to the immunologic treatment of malignant brain tumors.  A major focus of the research I have been conducting with the support of the Chair has been on determining how immunotherapy can best be conducted in conjunction with temozolomide treatment, which is now a mainstay in the treatment of high-grade gliomas. We have very promising data that immunologic responses can actually be enhanced by the appropriate timing of temozolomide therapy and cellular immunotherapy and this clinical trial will address this possibility in patients receiving vaccines and lymphocyte infusions in between cycles of temozolomide.</div> <div>     </div> <div>        I cannot emphasize enough how important the support that private foundations such as The Brain Tumor Society (BTS) and Accelerate Brain Cancer Cure Foundation (ABCC) have been in support of this work.  In the face of constrained federal budgets, private foundation and donor support is becoming increasingly critical to the advancement of brain tumor research.  The support from the Billy Grey Chair of Research and ABCC were instrumental in our laboratory receiving NIH funding to support this trial.</div> <div>    </div> <div>         I look forward to keeping you updated on our progress, and we will keep working hard on our end to ensure that your efforts to increase awareness and raise funds for brain tumor research are being leveraged as resourcefully as possible here at Duke.</div> <div>        </div> <div>     Thank you again for all that you and those who support The Billy Grey Chair of Research do in the fight against this disease.                                   Sincerely,</div> <bR> <div>                                                             <IMG SRC="08d56650.png" border=0 width="342" height="101" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>Box 3050 </B><B>• Durham, NC • 27710 • tel (919) 684-1951• fax: (919) 684-9045</B></div> <div> <B>d.mitchell@duke.edu</B></div> </td> </tr></table></body>