The Hematologic Malignancy/Retroviral Disease Program consists of 36 members, from seven academic departments, located on the Health Sciences campus (USC/Norris), and also at Children's Hospital therapy for patients with hematologic malignancies and those with retroviral disease. Specific goals within the area of hematological malignancies and those with retroviral disease. Specific goals within the area of hematologic neoplasia include: (1) to determine the biologic and molecular mechanisms of pathogenesis of various types of leukemia and lymphoma in adults and children; (2) to determine the epidemiologic factors associated with development of various types of leukemia and lymphoma; (3) to determine biologic and clinical characteristics and adults and children with ALL, after receipt of similar regimens of therapy, and to determine outcome measures in these two age groups, stratified by biologic markers; (4) to determine effective immunotherapeutic and gene therapy approaches to the treatment of ALL and AML, by generation of vaccines, using leukemic cells expressing immune stimulating molecules, and dendritic cells, loaded with various immune-enhancing peptides; (5) to pursue the study of vascular biology with generation of anti-angiogenic compounds, which will be tested in vitro and subsequently in vivo through clinical trials in patients with hematologic malignancies; (6) to determine the most effective means to avoid contamination by malignant cells, in the setting of autologous peripheral blood stem cell transplantation; (7) to determine the mechanisms of chemotherapy resistance in children and adults with hematologic malignancy; (8) to generate various new compounds for the treatment of patients with hematologic malignancy; and (9) to perform clinical trials to test new biologic and chemotherapeutic approaches to patients with hematologic malignancy. In the area of Retroviral Disease, the specific aims of this Program include: 91) to determine optimal therapy for patient with AIDS-related malignancies; (2) to determine the mechanisms of chemotherapy resistance in patients with AIDS- malignancies; (3) to determine the characteristics of HIV disease in women; (4) to determine the role of autologous peripheral blood progenitor transplantation in patients with relapsed or refractory AIDS lymphoma; and (5) to develop mechanisms to overcome T cell immune deficiency in the setting of HIV.
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