Cathy Lee-Miller awarded grant for pilot study of modified therapy for NCI standard risk B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL)

Cathy Lee Miller, MD
Cathy Lee-Miller, MD

Cathy Lee-Miller, MD, assistant professor and fellowship director, Division of Hematology, Oncology, and Bone Marrow Transplant, has been awarded a grant from the Cars Curing Kids Foundation for $30,458. The grant started in fall 2022 and will continue for approximately five years. Lee-Miller’s co-investigator is Katie Voelz, MD, fellow in the Division of Pediatric Hematology, Oncology, and Bone Marrow Transplant. The project, titled “Pilot Study: Comparing the Effect of the Addition of Blinatumomab to Standard Backbone Therapy from NCI Standard Risk B-cell ALL on Vaccine Specific Antibody Response for Vaccine Preventable Diseases,” will determine if children with B-cell acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) who are treated with the medication blinatumomab are at an increased risk for developing certain vaccine-preventable infections. Over the course of three to five years, Lee-Miller and Voelz hope to enroll 20 patients, with an ultimate goal of learning more about the effects of chemotherapy and immunotherapy on the immune system.