Marina Konopleva, MD, PhD, Director, Leukemia Program, Co-Director, Blood Cancer Institute, Montefiore Einstein Comprehensive Cancer Center, and Professor, Oncology, Molecular Pharmacology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, has been appointed as Vice-Chair of the Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology’s Leukemia Committee and as a Correlative Science Leader.
This appointment is a demonstration of Dr. Konopleva’s leadership in leukemia research at the national level. One of her key contributions is the identification of the dependency of acute myeloid leukemia cells on the anti-apoptotic B-cell lymphoma 2 (BCL-2) protein and the subsequent Food and Drug Administration’s approval of the BCL-2 inhibitor venetoclax in combination with low-intensity chemotherapy to offer treatment to elderly patients who can’t withstand chemotherapy. As Vice-Chair, she will spearhead the Leukemia Committee’s groundbreaking research, trials and studies for those suffering from acute and chronic leukemia.
The Alliance is a coalition of nearly 10,000 cancer specialists at hospitals, medical centers and community clinics across the United States and Canada with a mission to reduce the impact of cancer through the discovery, validation and dissemination of effective strategies to prevent and treat cancer. They conduct high-quality, multidisciplinary cancer control, prevention and treatment trials as well as further the understanding of the biology behind the cancer process and its treatment. They also aim to provide infrastructure for clinical and translational research in academic and community settings.
