Spore in leukemia - overall summary the overall goal of this spore in leukemia is to improve understanding of the genetic and molecular basis of myeloid leukemia and acquired resistance to…

The National Cancer Institute awarded Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Inc. $2.433959 million on August 13, 2026, under the Cancer Centers Support Grants program (CFDA 93.397), with performance concluding July 31, 2031, at the recipient's Boston, Massachusetts location.

The award funds a Specialized Program of Research Excellence (SPORE) in Leukemia designed to improve understanding of the genetic and molecular basis of myeloid leukemia and acquired resistance to treatment, and to develop novel therapeutic strategies. Three research projects extend laboratory discoveries through preclinical models into clinical trials. Project 1 assesses mechanisms of resistance to menin inhibitor treatment, identifies therapeutic targets to synergize with menin inhibition, and initiates clinical trials testing immunomodulatory imide drugs in combination with menin inhibition. Project 2 investigates therapeutic efficacy and predictors of response to PI3 kinase gamma inhibition in acute myeloid leukemia, optimizes combination therapies with PI3KG inhibition, and assesses PI3KG inhibition efficacy in an early-phase clinical trial. Project 3 defines gene regulatory functions of the mammalian SWI/SNF complex in primary leukemias, evaluates pharmacologic SMARCA4/2 ATPase inhibition as an AML treatment component, and tests clinical impact of mSWI/SNF ATPase inhibitor combinations in a Phase 1B trial. Three cores provide supporting infrastructure for biospecimen banking, clinical database management, genetic studies, functional precision medicine testing, and statistical analysis across all projects, leveraging resources at the Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center.

Spore in leukemia - overall summary the overall goal of this spore in leukemia is to improve understanding of the genetic and molecular basis of myeloid leukemia and acquired resistance to treatment, and to develop novel, effective therapeutic strategies. Projects extend lab-based research discoveries, establish the potential of candidate therapeutic strategies in preclinical models, and determine therapeutic efficacy in clinical trials. Each project will leverage the extensive scientific and clinical resources at the dana-farber/harvard cancer center (DF/HCC) in addition to the spore cores. The projects and cores all aim to achieve the overall goal of improved outcomes for patients with leukemia and will benefit from the considerable expertise and strengths of the team. Project 1 will assess mechanisms of resistance to menin inhibitor treatment, identify therapeutic targets likely to synergize with menin inhibition in overcoming resistance, and initiate clinical trials to test immunomodulatory imide drugs (imids) in combination with menin inhibition. Project 2 will investigate the therapeutic efficacy and predictors of response to PI3 kinase gamma inhibition in AML, will use mechanistic analyses to optimize combination therapies with PI3KΓ inhibition, and will assess the therapeutic role of PI3KΓ inhibition in an early phase clinical trial. Project 3 proposes studies to define gene regulatory functions of the mammalian SWI/SNF (mswi/SNF) complex in primary leukemias, evaluate the impact of pharmacologic SMARCA4/2 atpase inhibition as a component of AML treatment, and test the clinical impact of mswi/SNF atpase inhibitor combinations in a phase 1B trial. The cores have been designed to support all projects in translational research, such that lab-based and clinical research components of each project will interface with core 1 for biospecimen banking and the clinical database, core 2 for genetic studies and functional precision medicine testing, and core 3 for statistical and computational biology guidance. The career enhancement program and the development research program will develop the next generation of leukemia investigators and novel scientific innovation. The proposed studies promise to improve clinical outcomes for patients with leukemia.