SCIENTIFIC PROGRAMS

Facilitating collaboration and partnerships among academic scientists, clinicians, government, regulatory agencies, and patients is a critical component of the Foundation’s work. Through its global lymphoma consortia, research initiatives, and scientific workshops, the Lymphoma Research Foundation (LRF) mobilizes the research community to overcome systemic challenges and expedite the development of treatments. In 2022, LRF used its convening power to explore two important areas of scientific discovery and unmet need: follicular lymphoma (FL), and adolescent and young adult (AYA) lymphoma.

Follicular Lymphoma Scientific Workshop

FL is an indolent form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma that remains incurable. Although patients have high response rates to therapy, most will develop increasingly resistant disease and some will transform into an aggressive disease. Recent clinical trials have provided insight into the efficacy and safety of various therapies, yet aligning treatment with the disease biology and treatment sequencing remain key clinical challenges. Several novel agents are also being developed, based on significant LRF investments in FL research. To build upon this important work, LRF held its inaugural International FL Scientific Workshop in April, where experts from around the world convened to discuss the current standard of care, highlight unmet patient needs, present data regarding newly approved and emerging agents, and discuss the best approaches for designing clinical trials and new treatment regimens. The 2022 International FL Scientific Workshop was funded through the LRF Jaime Peykoff Follicular Lymphoma Initiative. The Foundation will publish a summary of the workshop, which will review recent research findings and highlight potential areas for future study, serving as a roadmap for the global FL research community. LRF will convene a follow-up workshop in 2024 to continue to propel the field of FL research forward.

Adolescent and Young Adult Lymphoma Scientific Workshop

On June 23 and 24, LRF convened physicians and scientists from more than 40 academic and medical institutions, federal agencies, and pharmaceutical companies for its second AYA Lymphoma Consortium Scientific Workshop.

LRF initially launched a multifaceted AYA initiative in 2014 with its founding partner, The Paul Foundation, to assist young lymphoma patients in addressing the medical challenges, psychosocial needs, and access issues they may encounter. The overwhelmingly positive response to this initiative led LRF to establish a first-ofits-kind AYA Lymphoma Consortium. The chief objective of the AYA Lymphoma Consortium is to advance the study of AYA lymphomas and improve treatments and care for this patient population, from the point of diagnosis through long-term survivorship.

Both LRF and the physicians who treat adult and pediatric lymphoma believe lymphoma in AYAs warrants special attention, as research suggests that lymphoma-related death occurs more often in the AYA group than in younger children and older adults. The underlying reasons are complex, as they are numerous, driven by biology, etiology, treatment patterns, and as social factors. Additionally, factors like the transition from pediatric to adult care and changes in access that come with changing jobs are unique challenges facing young adults transitioning to adulthood. The Foundation seeks to publish key findings from the workshop as well as from the first-of-its-kind AYA Lymphoma Consortium.