Research

AAMAC funds research focusing on bone marrow failure diseases such as Aplastic Anemia, PNH and MDS. The following are some of the work we at AAMAC are proud to have funded.

If you have a research project you feel may be of interest and are looking for funding please contact us.

Annual Canadian Nurses Foundation Grant

AAMAC has supported a Canadian Nurses Foundation grant since 2000. The grant is awarded by the Foundation to individuals pursuing graduate nursing studies who specialize in oncology/hematology or who have oncology/hematology as the focus of their research. The Foundation is a national non-profit charitable organization founded in 1962 by the Canadian Nurses Association.

Canadian Aplastic Anemia and Myelodysplastic Syndrome Study (“CAMS”)

AAMAC is supporting the pan-Canadian multicenter registry for aplastic anemia (AA), myelodsyplastic syndromes (MDS), paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) and other acquired bone marrow failure. AAMAC previously provided funding support for the establishment of the Canadian Aplastic Anemia and Myelodysplastic Syndrome Study (see Past Initiatives below).

The CAMS consortium will contribute significantly to enhancing the clinical care of patients with these conditions in the country, and to disseminating knowledge about these rare disorders to the rest of the world.

AAMAC will continue to support the CAMS registry by providing $30,000 CAD per annum for three years, starting on January 1st, 2019 to January 1st, 2022.

Single cell profiling of blood hematopoietic stem cells in pediatric aplastic anemia

AAMAC is supporting a project at B.C. Children’s Hospital.

Healthy lifelong blood production depends on normal functioning stem cells in the bone marrow. Blood stem cells in aplastic anemia (AA), while known to be partially destroyed, are also dysfunctional in their ability to regenerate the blood system. However, the reasons for these underlying deficits remain poorly understood. To advance insights into this area, the study will use the latest sequencing technologies available to profile stem cells in pediatric aplastic anemia at the single cell level to determine if there are distinct biological pathways that explain why AA stem cells fail to restore blood production.

AAMAC will support this research by providing CA$30,000.

Past Initiatives

Pediatric Research through the C17 Research Network

The C17 Research Network is a Canada-wide group of pediatric hematology and oncology researchers working in the 17 pediatric cancer centres across the country. These researchers also work with the Children’s Oncology Group (COG), an international research group of more than 240 hospitals that conduct clinical trials for children with cancer.

AAMAC co-funded a study conducted by Dr. Dror and his team at SickKids in Toronto. The title is the “Canadian Aplastic Anemia and Myelodysplastic Syndrome Study”. The project includes the opening of a registry and initiating the first study to apply next generation sequencing to identify genetic predispositions that affect treatment decisions in aplastic anemia.

The grant is for $22,500/year for two years and is matched by the C17 Research Network and the first payment was awarded in the fall of 2014. This amount is sufficient for the setup of the registry but additional funding is needed to start the identification of genetic predispositions affecting treatment choices. AAMAC considers this a vital part of the research project and awarded Dr. Dror and his team an additional $25,000 in late 2015 in the hope he will be able to obtain the additional funding required for this part of the project.

Both a registry and knowing what treatment will work best for a patient will be a big step forward in their treatment.

Iron overload in RARS versus non-RARS MDS

In February, 2016, AAMAC awarded Dr. Heather Leitch, Providence Haematology, Vancouver, almost $20,000 to continue her research into iron overload in MDS-RARS versus non-RARS-MDS. Observations suggest that RARS cells may be relatively protected against iron induced damage, and may process iron differently than non-RARS MDS.  Click here to view her Publication

In conjunction with the Canadian Institute for Health Research (CIHR)

In the past AAMAC has worked with the now discontinued CIHR Small Health Organizations Partnership Program (SHOPP) to find projects relevant to AA, PNH or MDS or the more general bone marrow failure diseases. This was a great benefit to AAMAC because CIHR would evaluate and rate proposals for scientific expertise and relevance and forward them to us for consideration.

We currently have one on-going research project in conjunction with CIHR SHOPP. The project is the “Role of Innate Immune Signaling in Myelodysplastic Syndromes” and is being done by Dr. Linda Chang under the supervision of Dr. Aly Karsan at the BC Cancer Agency, Genome Sciences Centre. The grant is for $60,000 over several years and is matched by CIHR.

Other Past Initiatives

The following are examples of research projects AAMAC has funded in the past.

Studies on progression of Myelodysplastic Syndromes (MDS) to acute leukemia

With contributions from the Calgary Old Time Hockey Players Association, in 2007 AAMAC supported a research project by Dr. Anna Janawska-Wieczorek at the University of Alberta.

The project was designed to extend research already done on the role of matrix metalloproteinase enzymes in MDS stem cells (CD34+ cells). Researchers hope to define how MDS progresses to leukemia and gain insight into designing more effective therapies. The funding was used to hire a student who worked with Drs. Turner and Larratt in Dr. Janawska-Wiezorek’s Stem Cell Research Laboratory under the supervision of postdoctoral fellow, Dr. Jalili