The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society has awarded one of its first IMPACT grants to a Vanderbilt University Medical Center-led team, launching a five-year effort to increase clinical trial enrollment from underrepresented communities to at least 20 percent. The initiative targets long-standing racial disparities in blood cancer research, where minority patients have historically been underrepresented in studies that lead to new treatments.
Led by Dr. Michael Savona, a professor of Medicine at Vanderbilt, the project aims to extend access to cutting-edge therapies beyond major medical centers. “Clinical trials are the leading edge of new therapy development,” Savona said. He noted that Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center investigators have contributed to approvals of over a dozen new therapies for leukemia, lymphoma and multiple myeloma in just the past three years. The IMPACT program, he explained, “engineers a focus on sharing this successful approach of novel clinical trial development away from the hub of the Medical Center.”
As part of the grant, researchers will also enroll underrepresented patients in a separate collaborative study called CHIVE (Clonal Hematopoiesis and Inflammation in the VasculaturE). This study investigates clonal hematopoiesis, a condition where blood cells acquire mutations that increase the risk for blood cancers and other diseases. These mutations have not been well studied in racially diverse populations, and the mutations that drive risk may differ across groups. By including a broader range of participants, researchers hope to better understand these biological differences and develop more equitable approaches to prevention and treatment.
The IMPACT grant represents a shift toward making clinical research more inclusive at the ground level. Savona, who has treated the first patients in the world for several now-approved blood cancer therapies, emphasized that addressing disparities is central to the mission of the hematology department and the cancer center as a whole. The goal of 20 percent enrollment from underrepresented communities, if achieved, could serve as a model for other institutions seeking to close the gap in cancer care access.
With recruitment now underway, the Vanderbilt team plans to build partnerships with community health centers and patient advocacy groups over the next five years. If successful, the program could help ensure that the next generation of blood cancer treatments reflects the diversity of the patients who will ultimately use them. “This is about sharing success,” Savona said, “so that innovation reaches everyone.”