SEATTLE, June 18, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --Cell Therapeutics, Inc. ("CTI") (NASDAQ and MTA: CTIC) today announced that the University of Washington ("UW") has begun enrolling patients in a randomized phase II study testing the combination of tosedostat with either cytarabine or decitabine for elderly patients with newly-diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia ("AML") or high-risk myelodysplastic syndrome ("MDS"). Drs. John Pagel and Elihu Estey, from the University of Washington School of Medicine and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, are leading the study. "This is the first study to examine the effects of tosedostat in combination with either cytarabine or decitabine as a first-line therapy. The study will evaluate how well patients tolerate these combinations, and their effectiveness. Given that there have been no major advances in treatment of elderly patients with AML, and the results of a previous study of tosedostat by itself in relapsed or refractory patients with AML or MDS showed promising anti-leukemic effects and acceptable tolerability, we are hopeful that this study will demonstrate that tosedostat increases the limited efficacy of these commonly used anti-leukemic agents," Dr. Estey said. The study's primary objectives are to determine the four-month survival and complete response ("CR") rates of tosedostat in combination with either … Continue reading →

SEATTLE, June 18, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --Cell Therapeutics, Inc. ("CTI") (NASDAQ and MTA: CTIC) today announced that the University of Washington ("UW") has begun enrolling patients in a randomized phase II study testing the combination of tosedostat with either cytarabine or decitabine for elderly patients with newly-diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia ("AML") or high-risk myelodysplastic syndrome ("MDS"). Drs. John Pagel and Elihu Estey, from the University of Washington School of Medicine and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, are leading the study. "This is the first study to examine the effects of tosedostat in combination with either cytarabine or decitabine as a first-line therapy. The study will evaluate how well patients tolerate these combinations, and their effectiveness. Given that there have been no major advances in treatment of elderly patients with AML, and the results of a previous study of tosedostat by itself in relapsed or refractory patients with AML or MDS showed promising anti-leukemic effects and acceptable tolerability, we are hopeful that this study will demonstrate that tosedostat increases the limited efficacy of these commonly used anti-leukemic agents," Dr. Estey said. The study's primary objectives are to determine the four-month survival and complete response ("CR") rates of tosedostat in combination with either … Continue reading →

ScienceDaily (June 18, 2012) Chicagoan Ieshea Thomas is the first Midwest patient to receive a successful stem cell transplant to cure her sickle cell disease without chemotherapy in preparation for the transplant. University of Illinois Hospital & Health Sciences System physicians performed the procedure using medication to suppress her immune system and one small dose of total body radiation right before the transplant. The transplant technique is relatively uncommon and is a much more tolerable treatment for patients with aggressive sickle cell disease who often have underlying organ disease and other complications, says Dr. Damiano Rondelli, professor of medicine at UIC, who performed Thomas's transplant. The procedure initially allows a patient's own bone marrow to coexist with that of the donor. Since the patient's bone marrow is not completely destroyed by chemotherapy or radiation prior to transplant, part of the immune defense survives, lessening the risk of infection. The goal is for the transplanted stem cells to gradually take over the bone marrow's role to produce red blood cells -- normal, healthy ones. Thomas, 33, had her first sickle cell crisis when she was just 8 months old. Her disease became progressively worse as an adult, particularly after the birth … Continue reading →