Frederick Goldman, M.D., professor in the UAB Division of Pediatric Hematology & Oncology, has been awarded a $116,000 grant over two years by the Diamond Blackfan Anemia Foundation in support of his research to find a cure for Diamond Blackfan Anemia (DBA). Goldman is also director of the Lowder Pediatric Blood and Marrow Transplantation Program at The Alabama Center for Childhood Cancer and Blood Disorders at Children’s of Alabama.
DBA is a rare, childhood bone marrow failure syndrome characterized by the inability to make red blood cells. Goldman and research partner Tim Townes, Ph.D., chairman of the UAB Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Genetics, plan to correct the genetic defect in skin cells obtained from patients with DBA, then convert the skin cells into hematopoietic stem cells that are once again capable of making red blood cells. Goldman and Townes are both senior scientists at the UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center.
“The ultimate goal of this preclinical study is to make this a therapeutic option, and possible cure, for patients who currently are being treated with monthly blood transfusions,” says Goldman.