Hematologic Malignancies Translational Center of Excellence

Translational Center of Excellence

Penn Medicine’s Hematologic Malignancies Translational Center of Excellence seeks to redefine the diagnostic and therapeutic approach to blood cancers in order to provide more effective targeted therapies.

The last few years have seen a tremendous level of discovery, with innovative, targeted therapies for leukemia and other blood cancers resulting in dramatic and sustained remissions. We build on that momentum, further redefining diagnostic and therapeutic approaches so that patients can be better matched with the most effective treatments.

Finding the Keys to Defeating Blood Cancers

Blood cancers—also known as hematologic malignancies—are challenging to treat because they are genetically diverse: the mechanisms that cause cancerous cells to form and flourish vary greatly. Researchers continue to decode the mysteries of hematologic malignancies, and the most successful therapies target the genetic or biological abnormality that is spurring the growth of cancer cells. However, often this type of critical and detailed information is not available to physicians as they treat their patients.

The Hematologic Malignancies Translational Center of Excellence (TCE) is forging new ground, narrowing the gap between the clinic and the laboratory, accelerating the pace of discoveries that will help today’s patients become—and remain—cancer-free. Martin Carroll, MD and Edward Stadtmauer, MD are leading efforts at this TCE to redefine the diagnostic and therapeutic approaches to blood cancers—including leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma—and provide more effective targeted therapies.

Providing More Effective Targeted Therapies

The Hematologic Malignancies Translational Center of Excellence (TCE) is a multidisciplinary center that seeks to redefine the diagnostic and therapeutic approaches to blood cancers, including leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma, and provide more effective targeted therapies.

This TCE:

  • Builds upon existing cutting-edge technologies for novel approaches to diagnosis and treatment that have recently been developed at Penn Medicine
  • Developed and utilizes a coordinated pathology service that serves as a central resource for the highly-specific molecular patient information that will be required to design and test targeted therapies

These combined clinical and laboratory resources accelerate the development of novel therapeutics, including immune therapies—resulting in optimized, personalized cancer treatments.

Giving Opportunities

To learn more about how to support a Translational Center of Excellence at the Abramson Cancer Center, please contact Tricia Bruning at 215-898-1033 or tbruning@upenn.edu.