21 November 2017 - - The Rye Brook, New York-based blood cancer-focused Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS) has committed an additional USD 46m to fund cancer research at leading medical institutions around the world, bringing its investment to more than USD 1bn in its nearly 70-year history, the organisation said.
One year ago, LLS launched its Beat AML Master Trial, a multi-center, multi-drug clinical trial in acute myeloid leukemia that is taking a precision medicine approach by identifying the patient's AML subtype and giving them a targeted therapy best suited to their diagnosis.
LLS will fund 23 new grants for this targeted approach to AML, and continues to invest in other novel approaches to treat AML in this latest round of grants. 
To advance the revolutionary therapies that harness the body's own immune system to fight cancer, LLS will fund 17 new immunotherapy projects. Also among the 87 new research projects are novel ways to address myeloma.
LLS continues to make a significant investment in fostering the early careers of the next generation of scientists, with 36 new grants in its Career Development Program.
These new grants bring LLS's total active research portfolio to 254 grants, more investment in blood cancer research than any non-profit agency or government agency outside of the National Institutes of Health.
As part of its research agenda, LLS continues to invest approximately USD10 m annually in its venture philanthropy initiative, TAP, or Therapy Acceleration Program, through which the organization partners with biotechnology companies to accelerate development of novel therapies through clinical trials.
The most ambitious grants in the LLS portfolio are Specialized Center of Research (SCOR) grants. These multidisciplinary, collaborative grants bring together teams of researchers to solve difficult challenges in the blood cancers.
LLS has invested USD40 m over the past two decades in CAR T-cell therapy at multiple institutions. Currently, LLS is committed to funding USD34 m in CAR T-cell and other immunotherapies.
The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, a voluntary health agency dedicated to blood cancer, has chapters throughout the US and Canada.
Its mission is to cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease and myeloma, and to improve the quality of life of patients and their families.
LLS funds blood cancer research around the world, provides free information and support services, and is the voice for all blood cancer patients seeking access to quality, affordable, coordinated care.