Almost 50 percent of patients without even minimal residual disease/Study led by hematologists from Heidelberg published in Blood

The transplantation of stem cells from a healthy donor (allogeneic) offers the chance of cure for patients with an aggressive form of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), irrespective of genetic prognostic factors and the prior course of the disease. The German CLL Study Group proved this in a multicentric clinical phase II study led by Professor Dr. Peter Dreger, senior consultant and head of the division of stem cell transplantation at the Department of Internal Medicine V at Heidelberg University Hospital. The results were published online in the prominent journal "Blood" at the beginning of July.

Allogeneic (donor-derived) stem cell transplant (alloSCT) may be a promising option for patients with treatment-resistant chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), regardless of the patient's underlying genetic abnormalities, according to the results of a study published online today in Blood, the journal of the American Society of Hematology. About 15,000 new CLL cases were diagnosed in the United States in 2009 and about 4,000 deaths were documented (according to the American Cancer Society). While survival rates for leukemia have generally improved in the last decade, patients with rare, more aggressive forms of CLL do not respond well to standard chemotherapy-based and targeted treatments and often die within a few years of diagnosis.

Jerusalem, Israel, June 21, 2010 --- Gamida Cell announced today that the Gamida Cell-Teva Joint Venture has received an FDA Fast Track Designation for StemEx, in development as an alternative to a bone marrow transplant for patients with blood cancers such as leukemia and lymphoma.

The fast track programs of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are designed to facilitate the development and expedite the review of new drugs that are intended to treat serious or life threatening conditions and that demonstrate the potential to address unmet medical needs (fast track products).

Oklahoma researchers studying stem cells in cancer treatment and tissue regeneration will have the opportunity to do so in a new center and with additional funding. The Oklahoma Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust approved the new center along with a $5.5 million investment in February. The OU Cancer Institute also is teaming up with Sarah Cannon Research Institute to expand its research program.

Casey Killblane, the Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust Board of Directors chairwoman, said this would help make Oklahoma a leader in research. Officials hope to channel the work of Oklahoma scientists, attract additional talent to the state and increase resources from the federal government and other funding entities.