LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- March 5, 2004

Continuing the legacy of the young Connecticut woman who wanted to improve the lives of blood stem cell transplant patients, The Marrow Foundation^® and the National Marrow Donor Program^® (NMDP) have announced the 2004 Amy Strelzer Manasevit Research Program for the Study of Post Transplant Complications award winners.

Amy Strelzer Manasevit, a young, vibrant mother from Fairfield, Conn., who received an unrelated marrow transplant in the 1990s, wanted to help extend and improve the lives of other patients who receive transplants. After Amy succumbed to complications from her transplant, her family founded the Amy Strelzer Manasevit Research Program to provide resources for promising researchers to study, manage and overcome complications following transplantation.

The 2004 winners are:

• Anthony G. Brickner, Ph.D., Hillman Cancer Center, University of Pittsburgh,who was named the 2004 Dr. Robert Good Scholar. In his study, Identifying Graft-Versus Leukemia Associated Human Minor Histocompatibility Antigens Restricted by HLA-A2, Brickner will work to identify minor histocompatibility antigens found only on malignant and normal blood cells. This research could lead to the development of new strategies to increase the graft-versus-leukemia effect while mitigating graft-versus-host disease (GVHD).
  
  
• Jason W. Chien, M.D., M.S., Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Wash., who was named the 2004 Dr. George Santos Scholar. Chien will study Bronchiolitis Obliterans Syndrome, Chronic GVHD, and the Innate Immune Response. He will investigate the association between chronic GVHD and severe new-onset airflow obstruction (AFO), the most common lung complication among long-term survivors of hematopoietic stem cell transplant. Results from this research study will establish the first step toward developing effective ways to prevent and treat new-onset airflow obstruction after transplant.

In addition, Anna Mari Malkki, Ph.D., Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, Seattle, Wash., was designated the 2004 Alaina Enlow Scholar. Malkki's research focuses on marrow post-transplant complications, and her study is titled: Identification of Functional Human SNP in Unrelated Hematopoietic Stem Cells.

Alaina Enlow was an exceptional young woman with a passion and talent for photography, who was diagnosed with leukemia when she was 15 years old. Alaina had a blood stem cell transplant to treat her leukemia, but she subsequently succumbed to post-transplant complications after a 2 1/2-year battle. "Alaina always liked the idea that doctors could learn from her experiences, and we are humbled that her ultimate sacrifice will someday lead to major breakthroughs in transplant and post-transplant care," said her mother, Leslie Enlow of Denton, Texas.

"A priority of the NMDP is to support research that will improve the survival rates and quality of life for recipients of cellular transplant therapies," said Dr. Jeffrey Chell, NMDP chief executive officer. "The Amy Strelzer Manasevit Research Program addresses this priority, and the findings of the scholars will lead to important breakthroughs in our understanding of post-transplant complications."

The award winners were recognized at the Coronado Springs Resort during the annual meeting of the American Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (ASBMT) Sunday, Feb. 15, at a reception given by The Marrow Foundation and the NMDP.

The families of Alaina Enlow and Amy Strelzer Manasevit were present for the introduction of the new scholars. Speaking on behalf of Amy's family, her husband Bruce Manasevit said, "When we announced the first 'Amys' in 1998, we hoped that the Research Program would find solutions to post-transplant complications. We are proud to be associated with The Marrow Foundation and the NMDP in a program that is advancing the field of transplantation and helping patients like Amy."

The Amy Strelzer Manasevit Research Program

The Amy Strelzer Manasevit Research Program for the Study of Post-Transplant Complications was established by The Marrow Foundation in collaboration with its partner, the NMDP, in memory of Amy Strelzer Manasevit, who had a successful marrow transplant facilitated by the NMDP but later succumbed to pneumonia. Working with Amy's family and friends, The Foundation has raised more than $3.1 million over the past six years to support the research projects of 13 scholars and seven post-doctoral fellows.

Contributions to the Research Program have come from individuals as well as from numerous corporations and foundations including Baxter Oncology; the Jacob and Hilda Blaustein Foundation of Baltimore; Boehringer-Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals Inc.; Cook Children's Medical Center in Ft. Worth; the General Motors Cancer Research Foundation; the F.M. Kirby Foundation Inc.; and SuperGen.

More information about The Marrow Foundation is available online or by calling (202) 638-6601.

More information about the NMDP is available online, or by calling (800)MARROW-2.