Research

AAMAC funds research into bone marrow failure diseases such as aplastic anemia and MDS. The following are recent examples of work AAMAC is currently funding.

$45,000 MDS Grant for Canadian MDS Treatment Guidelines

Announced in 2008, the Aplastic Anemia & Myelodysplasia Association of Canada (AAMAC) is funding the creation of Canadian Consensus Guidelines on the Treatment of myleodysplastic syndrome (MDS). This two-year, $45,000 grant is named the Gord Sanford Memorial Grant in honour and in recognition of the extensive contributions made by our late President to Canadian patients.

The guidelines will focus on the diagnosis and management of MDS. They will be developed by Dr. Richard Wells, Co- Director, Myelodyplastic Syndromes Program at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and the Chair of AAMAC's Medical and Scientific Advisory Committee, and an expert panel of 10 to 15 hematologists from across Canada.

"In the past few years there have been numerous major advances in MDS - including new pathological classification and prognostic systems, new approaches to supportive care, and new disease-modifying therapies," wrote Dr. Wells in his proposal. "It has been very difficult for practicing hematologists, oncologists and internists to keep pace with these developments and as a result practice patterns have become haphazard. To ensure delivery of proper, up- to-date care to Canadian MDS patients, it is essential to produce a strong, evidence-based practice guidelines."

Dr. Wells was part of a recent collaboration by Canadian hematologists to create Canadian Consensus Guidelines on the management of iron to create Canadian Consensus Guidelines for iron overload in MDS. Those guidelines were recently published after peer review in the journal Leukemia Research. It was during the development of the iron chelation guidelines that need for broader MDS guidelines was highlighted.

A consensus conference meeting will be held in May 2009 and following approval of recommendations by the panel, a manuscript will be drafted for submission to a peer- reviewed journal such as the Canadian Medical Association Journal.

AAMAC is pleased to support this effort which is designed to improve the lives of Canadians with MDS as reflected by the Board's unanimous support. The Board also agreed it was a most fitting tribute to Gord Sanford who worked tirelessly to improve the lives of other patients while fighting the disease himself.

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 Canada. These researchers all 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.

Beginning in 2008, COG is conducting a study called The Treatment of Down Syndrome (DS) Children with Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) and Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS) Under the Age of 4 Years. The study is approved in Canada and is currently open in nine Canadian pediatric hematology/oncology centres.

Research has shown that children with DS have a higher risk of developing myelodysplasia or leukemia. On the other hand, children with DS who develop AML/MDS respond better to chemotherapy than children with these diseases who do not have DS.

The main goal of the study is to see if it is possible to reduce the amount of chemotherapy in DS children with AML or MDS, to decrease the possible drug side effects (particularly to the heart), while still maintaining as high a survival rate as previous studies.

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/haematology as the focus of their research. The Foundation is a national non-profit charitable organization founded in 1962 by the Canadian Nurses Association.

For information about past research initiatives click here.

Your doctor can tell you if you are eligible to participate in a clinical trial. For general information on trials, ask us for a free booklet. For links to databases of some clinical trials click here.