Research

Advancing clinical care…

Our faculty are dedicated to conducting the research today that will become the standard of care tomorrow. They are active participants in research activities organized under the auspices of the multidisciplinary research programs of the NCI-designated Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center. Sylvester research programs involve more than 150 collaborating multidisciplinary faculty who work to facilitate cancer discovery and translation of basic findings into the clinic.

Division of Hematology faculty are at the forefront of development and advanced new treatments in application of cutting-edge technologies. Activities of our faculty span basic, translational, and clinical arenas, and several faculty are international leaders who have made major contributions to our understanding and treatment of cancer and blood disorders.

Sylvester physicians and scientists are also engaged in approximately 300 clinical trials, available at our main campus and 9 network sites, including approximately 200 therapeutic, Phase I, II, and II clinical trials. Clinical trials led by Division of Hematology investigators have led to the recent approval of a number of new drugs to treat hematologic malignancies.

The Division of Hematology has an extensive portfolio of cutting-edge clinical studies addressing a wide range of hematologic disorders, including: acute myeloid and lymphocytic leukemias, chronic myeloid and lymphocytic leukemias, myelodysplastic syndromes/neoplasms, myeloproliferative neoplasms, Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin lymphomas, HIV-1 and HTLV-1 associated malignancies, bone marrow failure conditions, thromboses and factor deficiencies, clonal hematopoiesis disorders, inherited conditions, as well as access to the latest stem cell transplantation and cellular therapies such as CAR -T cell therapies for lymphoma,  leukemia, and non-hematologic malignancies. Division faculty are conducting novel gene therapy trials addressing hemophilia A and B, as well as hemoglobinopathies such as sickle cell anemia. Our faculty are also conducting numerous investigator-initiated trials using novel targeted approaches and immunotherapies pioneered by Sylvester investigators. In addition, our faculty are active members of the NCI Cooperative Groups, international working groups and consortia, the Clinical Immunology Tumor Network, and the AIDS Malignancy Consortium facilitating multi-institutional cancer clinical trials, particularly for rare hematologic diagnoses.

Research within the Division is funded by government agencies such as the National Institutes of Health and Department of Defense, foundations such as the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and the American Cancer Society, State of Florida agencies, and corporate entities, to offer unique clinical and therapeutic options in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of patients with hematologic disorders.

Our faculty have developed and pioneered innovative strategies to diagnose and treat a variety of human cancers to translate laboratory breakthroughs into more effective treatments. Specific research foci include defining the genetics and epigenetics of hematologic diagnoses; identifying the biologic basis of drug efficacy and drug resistance; applying bioinformatics to diagnostics and therapeutics; uncovering the epidemiology of hematologic disorders; and focusing on quality of life and outcomes of patients with hematologic conditions. The rapidly expanding clinical and research activities, with a particular emphasis on special populations in South Florida, have enabled us to focus research and clinical efforts to serve the needs of our catchment area, and have created unique opportunities for fellows, trainees and junior faculty at UM.

As a direct result of NCI designation, Sylvester is one of only two NCI designated centers in the state of Florida and has a rapidly expanding research base. The division continues to expand research activities in close collaboration with the Department of Medicine to increase the scope and breadth of the high quality of research conducted within the division.

Divisional faculty have chaired conferences and/or lectured at numerous international and national venues of importance, including the American Society of Hematology, American Society of Clinical Oncology, the European Hematology Association, and the American Association of Cancer Research meetings, and serve prominently in leadership positions in numerous national and international organizations.

Hematology faculty are active participants in Sylvester's multidisciplinary research programs including Biobehavioral Oncology, Molecular Oncology, Molecular and Experimental Therapeutics, a Tumor Immunobiology and Immunotherapy, and Cancer Epidemiology and Prevention Research. Additionally, members of the division are noted for seminal contributions to understanding of the pathogenesis and the management of hematologic disorders such as thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura, and autoimmune idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura.