St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital®

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Jewelers For Children Board Report – October 2007

Leung named new director of Bone Marrow Transplantation and Cellular Therapy

After an international search interviewing pediatric and adult bone marrow transplantation (BMT) leaders, the hospital’s search committee has determined that one of the world’s top BMT innovators is already a member of the St. Jude faculty. As a result, Wing Leung, MD, PhD, has been named director of Bone Marrow Transplantation and Cellular Therapy.

“Dr. Leung had already developed innovative new strategies of cellular therapies for patients with cancer undergoing bone marrow transplants,” said William Evans, PharmD, director and CEO. “We are also fortunate that Dr. Leung was already at St. Jude, because several other top programs were trying to recruit him as well.”

A St. Jude faculty member since 1999, Leung earned his medical degree from the University of Hong Kong in 1988 and his PhD from the Johns Hopkins University in 1998. As a board-certified pediatric hematologist/oncologist and a physician scientist, Leung’s research career has been marked by a strong focus on critical issues in bone marrow transplantation and cellular immunotherapy. Leung pioneered the use of natural killer (NK) cells to treat refractory leukemia. His ground-breaking NK cell therapy is supported by several external grants and has been adopted by the Children’s Oncology Group. His is the only reference lab for the national program in NK cell donor selection.

As a national and international leader in the field, Leung has been appointed to the protocol and grant review committee of the National Institutes of Health; National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute for the Blood and Marrow Transplant Clinical Trials Network; and Specialized Centers for Cell-Based Therapy.

“The committee was unanimous in selecting Leung to lead this division,” said James Downing, MD, scientific director. “The combination of his intellect, clinical experience and outstanding research program in cellular therapy make him one of the most sought-after individuals to lead a BMT program.”

Leung, an associate faculty member of St. Jude BMT, has been published extensively in medical literature and has served on numerous St. Jude clinical and patient care committees. He assumed his new responsibilities as director Tuesday, May 1.
 

St. Jude Patient – Brooklyn (Washington)
Diagnosis: Osteopetrosis

Brooklyn’s Story:
Four-year-old Brooklyn was born with osteopetrosis, an extremely rare bone disease in which 70 percent of children stricken with it die by the age of 6, and almost 100 percent do not live to the age of 10. The only cure is a bone marrow transplant.

When Brooklyn came to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital®, doctors didn’t have time to search the national bone marrow registry for a match. Brooklyn’s bones were 32 times denser than those of a normal child, and time was of the essence. So doctors tested her parents. Brooklyn’s mom, Danie, was chosen to be her donor.

Danie knew that her child’s survival would demand extraordinary sacrifice—but she never hesitated. She literally gave her life’s blood to ensure that little Brooklyn would live.

Thankfully, St. Jude has pioneered a process that allows parents to donate blood stem cells for their children. As the donor, Danie had to take a drug that stimulates stem cell production. Because St. Jude would cover the cost of Brooklyn’s medical care, Danie was able to quit her job and spend precious days with her child during treatment.
But the injections took their toll. “The drug they use is called G-CSF,” recalls Danie, “and it makes your bones feel like they are going to explode.”

The transplant was done just after Brooklyn’s first birthday. At that point, Brooklyn wasn’t able to walk or talk. She would sit quietly, but never reach for any toys or play.

“She wasn’t a child,” remembers her mom. “She would just kind of sit and stare at you, and that was it.”
Brooklyn’s transplant took successfully, and her inpatient treatment was only 32 days. She immediately started feeling better and meeting developmental milestones.

Today, Brooklyn is an adorable child—a “girly-girl” says her mom—who enjoys going to Starbucks and, in her tiny high voice, announce, “My mommy would like a grandé, no-fat, marble mocha macchiato, please.” She has three favorite toy horses, named Sunbeam, Box of Soap and Platelet.

One of the aspects that influenced the family’s choice was the total-care approach at St. Jude which includes psychological and educational support for children. St. Jude also has the largest pediatric bone marrow transplant unit in the country and continues to have low toxicity and low transplant mortality compared to other institutions.