To Bring CRISPR Gene Editing to Rare Blood Cancer, MPN Genetics Announces Research Grants and Elite Medical Board
25 February 2015 - 4:24AM
Business Wire
Announcing a fistful of Foundation $200,000 research grants, a
small patient advocacy group has formed MPN Genetics (mGEN) to help
bring new gene editing technologies to a rare blood cancer. mGEN is
supported by an elite international group of blood cancer
scientists and specialists.
“Our strategy,” says mGEN Team Leader Zhenya Senyak, a
myelofibrosis patient, “is simple. We want to help research
biologists and genomic scientists focus on myeloproliferative
neoplasms (MPNs) by opening access to research funding and
supporting collaboration with hematologists and other clinicians.
Right now, hematologists are new to gene editing and genetic
engineering scientists likely never heard of MPNs.“
The multiple $200,000 grants, provided by the MPN Research
Foundation with the support of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society
are for basic research that brings new gene editing technologies to
bear on MPN disease. The deadline to apply for the MPNRF/LLS
research grants is April 1, 2015. The Request for Proposals can be
downloaded at:
http://www.mpnresearchfoundation.org/2015-Request-for-Research-Proposals.
Supporting mGEN is a cadre of scientists credited with discovery
of the genetic mutations causing MPNs, directors of the largest US
blood cancer treatment centers and researchers using CRISPR/Cas9
gene editing to clip the JAK2 mutation out of a human stem cell’s
DNA.
The Scientific and Clinical Board includes John Crispino, PhD,
Northwestern University, Claire Harrison, MD. Guy’s & St.
Thomas’ Hospitals, Robert Kralovics, PhD CeMM, Research Center For
Molecular Medicine, Ross Levine, MD, PhD, Memorial Sloan Kettering,
Ruben Mesa, MD, Mayo Clinic, Andrew Schafer, MD, Weill-Cornell,
Richard Silver, MD, Weill-Cornell, Srdan Verstovsek, MD, PhD. MD
Anderson, and Zhaohui Ye, PhD Johns Hopkins.
The MPNs are a blood cancer affecting over 300,000 Americans. A
disease with no cure beyond risky stem cell transplant, MPNs
severely affect quality of life and are deadly in later stages.
MPN GeneticsStephanie Onel,
828-279-3861info@mpngenetics.commpngenetics@gmail.com