Biography
Dr. Anderson is an independent investigator in the Hematologic Malignancies Disease Center at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and an Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. His research interests include cellular and molecular mechanisms regulating myeloma cell growth and survival and novel immune-based therapies for myeloma.
In 1997, Dr. Anderson hosted the VI International Workshop on Multiple Myeloma in Boston. He serves on the Board of Directors and Board of Scientific Advisors of the International Myeloma Foundation and is Chairman of the Board of Scientific Advisors of the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation.
Dr. Anderson graduated from Johns Hopkins Medical School in 1977 and trained in internal medicine at Johns Hopkins Hospital. He completed his training in hematology, medical oncology, and tumor immunology at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
Abstract
Development of Novel Treatment Approaches for Multiple Myeloma
Development of Novel Treatment Approaches for Multiple Myeloma. Multiple myeloma is a presently incurable bone marrow cancer which will affect 13,700 new individuals in the U.S. in 1999 and account for 2% of cancer-related deaths. Dr. Anderson has assembled a team of basic and clinical researchers to develop new biologically-based treatment strategies for myeloma. These therapies target not only the tumor cell, but also its bone marrow microenvironment, in order to achieve more complete and selective eradication of myeloma cells, improved disease-free survival for patients, and ultimate cure. Laboratory studies will define factors in the tumor cell itself and its microenvironment, such as increased formation of new blood vessels, which permit myeloma cells to grow and survive in the bone marrow. Basic studies will provide the rationale for novel treatments to selectively inhibit tumor growth, induce tumor cell death, and overcome the ability of tumor cells to resist currently available conventional treatments. Simultaneously, the team will develop methods for enhancing immune responses against myeloma cells in the laboratory. These studies will provide the basis for vaccination treatments to specifically target myeloma cells. The team will also identify and characterize those cells in the immune system which are capable of recognizing and killing myeloma cells. These cells will be expanded in the laboratory and then transfused to patients to provide an alternative form of anti-myeloma therapy.