Speaker Profile
Hans-guido Wendel

Hans-guido Wendel MD

Oncology, Haematology
New York, New York, United States of America

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Dr. Wendel and his collaborators are focusing their efforts on follicular lymphoma (FL), specifically a surface receptor protein called EPHA7. In normal B-cells in the human immune system, EPHA7 helps control the growth of neighboring B-cells. In laboratory research, Dr. Wendel and his team determined that EPHA7 was inactivated in lymphoma B-cells, allowing the cancer cells to grow uncontrollably. The researchers hypothesized that if they could reintroduce EPHA7 to those lymphoma cells it would help stop the progression of the disease. “The ‘trick’ we used was to tag EPHA7 on to an antibody that recognizes B-lymphoma cells,” Dr. Wendel explains. “In this manner the protein is delivered to the lymphomas and can restore growth control.” To continue the development of this novel treatment, LRF awarded Dr. Wendel with a three-year Follicular Lymphoma Pathways Grant.

Dr. Wendel’s LRF-funded research is currently focused on FL, a subtype where roughly 70 percent of tumors show EPHA7 inactivation, making a therapy targeted at reactivated the protein potentially effective for a majority of patients. Additional research by Dr. Wendel’s team found EPHA7 inactivation is even more common in aggressive diffuse large B-cell and Burkitt’s lymphomas, suggesting a potential use for this therapy across several more subtypes of lymphoma. Dr. Wendel notes that translating this discovery to the clinic, though “clearly an important phase of the research,” is the type of research not well funded at the federal level. “Therefore, LRF funding is absolutely essential to push new ideas like this from the lab towards the clinic.
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