Molecular profiling and apoptosis regulation
in lymphoma

Group Leader:
Olaf Merkel

Group Members:
Nicole Prutsch
Ruben Branco

Contact:
Dr. Olaf Merkel
Clinical Institute for Pathology
Medical University of Vienna
Währinger Gürtel,18-20, A-1090 Vienna, Austria
Phone: +43 1 4040036610
http://www.meduniwien.ac.at/
Email: olaf.merkel@meduniwien.ac.at

Funding:
Klinische Malignom und Zytokinforschung Salzburg-Innsbruck GmbH
Inaugural meeting of the European ALCL study group was kindly supported by Pfizer

Description: miRNA regulation of ALCL, Role of AP-1 transcription factor in this disease

Collaborators: Lukas Kenner (Wien), Suzanne Turner (Cambridge)

Publications:
1- Laimer D, Dolznig H, Kollman K, et al. Identification of PDGFRB blockade as a rational and highly effective therapy for NPM-ALK driven lymphomas.
Nature Medicine, 2012, in press
2- Hopfinger G, Griessl R, Sifft E, et al. Novel treatment avenues for peripheral T-cell lymphomas.
Expert Opinion on Drug Discovery. 2012, in press
3- Merkel O, Wacht N, Sifft E, et al. Actinomycin D induces p53-independent cell death and prolongs survival in high-risk chronic lymphocytic leukemia.
Leukemia. 2012.
4- Johrer K, Obkircher M, Neureiter D, et al. Antimyeloma activity of the sesquiterpene lactone cnicin: impact on Pim-2 kinase as a novel therapeutic target.
J Mol Med (Berl). 2012;90(6):681-693. 
5- Merkel O, Kenner L, Turner SD. Anaplastic large cell lymphoma: the current state of play from a European prospective as presented at the second annual meeting of the European Research Initiative on ALCL, 27-28 June 2011.
Leukemia 2011;25:1795-1796.
6- Merkel O, Hamacher F, Sifft E, Kenner L, Greil R. Novel Therapeutic Options in Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma: Molecular Targets and Immunological Tools.
Mol.Cancer Ther. 2011
7- Merkel O, Hamacher F, Laimer D et al. Identification of differential and functionally active miRNAs in both anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK)+ and ALK- anaplastic large-cell lymphoma.
Proc.Natl.Acad.Sci.U.S.A 2010;107:16228-16233.
8- Merkel O, Asslaber D, Pinon JD, Egle A, Greil R. Interdependent regulation of p53 and miR-34a in chronic lymphocytic leukemia.
Cell Cycle 2010;9(14).
9- Asslaber D, Pinon JD, Seyfried I et al. microRNA-34a expression correlates with MDM2 SNP309 polymorphism and treatment-free survival in chronic lymphocytic leukemia.
Blood 2010;115(21):4191-4197.
10- Merkel O, Heyder C, Asslaber D et al. Arsenic trioxide induces apoptosis preferentially in B-CLL cells of patients with unfavourable prognostic factors including del17p13.
J.Mol.Med. 2008.

Weblinks:
www.limcr.at

Tools:
Human Cell lines: Karpas-299, SUDHL-1, SR-786, Mac-2a, FE-PD FE-PD, Mac2a

Techniques:
Q-RT PCR for miRNAs, Array: 636 hsa-miRs, 415 mmu-miRs, 1µg RNA required, miR-Transfection, target-evluation.