Jacob Appelbaum receives American Society of Hematology Scholar Award

Dr. Jacob Appelbaum, acting instructor (Hematology) has received an American Society of Hematology (ASH) Scholar Award for his project “Negative impacts of myeloid targeting on anti-AML CAR T cell function.”

Fred Hutch and the University of Washington are national leaders in the development of CAR T-cell technologies. While CAR T-cells have had a profound impact on the treatment outcomes of patients with either B cell malignancies or multiple myeloma, the technology has not yet found such success in treating patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML).

Dr. Appelbaum has developed mouse models and preclinical candidate CAR T-cells to study the reaction of CAR T-cells following AML challenge. Early data suggests that AML specifically suppresses the function of T cells, including CAR T-cells.

Immunosuppressive mechanisms involved in leukemogenesis and leukemia progression may direct efforts leveraging improvements in cellular engineering to overcome suppressive mechanisms identified and may reveal.

Since 1985, the ASH Scholar Award has helped ease the transition between training and the establishment of an independent career in hematology research by providing partial salary or other support during that critical period.