The Society Pages
Remembering Francesco Lo Coco (1955 – 2019)
Francesco Lo Coco, MD, a renowned leukemia
researcher and pioneer of targeted therapy, passed
away on March 3, 2019. Members of the hematology
community expressed shock and intense grief over
this sudden loss.
Dr. Lo Coco was born in Palermo, Italy. After earning
Francesco Lo Coco, MD his medical degree from the University of Pisa and
completing his hematology training at the Univer-
sity La Sapienza in Rome, Dr. Lo Coco completed
his research fellowship in molecular biology at Columbia University in
New York. At the time of his passing, Dr. Lo Coco was full Professor of
Hematology and head of the Onco-hematology Integrated Diagnostic
Laboratory of the Department of Biopathology and Diagnostic Imaging
at the University Tor Vergata in Rome.
Dr. Lo Coco’s research interest was the genetic characterization, diag-
nosis, monitoring, and treatment of acute myeloid leukemia and acute
promyelocytic leukemia (APL). He published more than 400 articles in
peer-reviewed publications and acted as coordinator of the GIMEMA pro-
myelocytic leukemia group. He was involved in influential studies about
the treatment of APL in the chemotherapy-free era, including pivotal
work that established the combination of all-trans retinoic acid and
arsenic trioxide as a standard frontline treatment for these patients.
Most recently, Dr. Lo Coco participated in the expert panel of the
European LeukemiaNet that developed updated recommendations
for the management of patients with APL, which was published
online in Blood on February 25, 2019.
Throughout his career, Dr. Lo Coco received several international
awards in recognition of his contributions to the field of acute leuke-
mias, including the European Hematology Association’s (EHA’s) José
Carreras Award in 2018. He was passionate about education, serving
as chairman of the EHA’s Education Committee.
Dr. Lo Coco is also remembered as a vital member of the American
Society of Hematology (ASH). He was the founding editor of Italian
Blood and pioneered the launch of the international editions of the
Blood journal several years ago. Dr. Lo Coco also worked with the
Society’s International Consortium on Acute Leukemia (ICAL), which
developed into a highly successful capacity-building program within
the Latin American hematology community.
On behalf of the Blood journal, Editor-in-Chief Bob Löwenberg,
MD, PhD, Deputy Editor Nancy Berliner, MD, and staff remembered
Dr. Lo Coco as “truly a friend in the best sense. He was warm, sensi-
tive, open-minded, and cooperative. His friends know that Francesco
was especially proud of his son Gaetano, a young music director, with
whom he felt deeply connected.”
Remembering Samuel Charache (1930 – 2019)
Samuel Charache, MD, one of the first scientists to
discover that hydroxyurea could help patients with sickle
cell disease (SCD), passed away on January 29, 2019.
At the time of his passing, Dr. Charache was profes-
sor emeritus at Johns Hopkins Medicine in Baltimore.
His career at Johns Hopkins spanned decades; he
joined the institution in 1966, eventually becoming
Samuel Charache, MD
director of the hematology laboratory of the Johns
Hopkins Hospital in 1979.
Dr. Charache is best known as the first author of
the 1995 New England Journal of Medicine paper that demonstrated
Brian Druker Awarded
Sjöberg Prize
The Royal Swedish
Academy of Sciences
awarded Brian Druker,
MD, its Sjöberg Prize,
which is given to
scientists who have
made major dis-
Brian Druker, MD
coveries in cancer
research. Dr. Druker is
director of the Knight Cancer Institute
at Oregon Health & Science University
in Portland.
Dr. Druker was recognized for his
“ground-breaking contributions to
the clinical development of targeted
10
ASH Clinical News
therapy directed against genetic
aberrations in cancer.” His research
accomplishments include leading the
successful clinical trial of the tyrosine
kinase inhibitor imatinib in chronic
myeloid leukemia.
Dr. Druker shares the 2019 award
with Dennis Slamon, MD, PhD, a
breast cancer specialist at the Univer-
sity of California Los Angeles Jonsson
Comprehensive Cancer Center. The
researchers will split the $1 million
prize, $900,000 of which is designated
for future research.
“I am deeply honored to receive this
prize and to join the company of the
previous Sjöberg Prize award recipients,
whom I hold in the highest regard,” Dr.
that the cancer drug hydroxyurea could ameliorate painful sickle cell
crises. This pivotal research, which he conducted with George Dover,
MD, the former director of pediatrics at Johns Hopkins, represented a
revolutionary step in the management of SCD.
Colleagues at Johns Hopkins remembered Dr. Charache as “a notable
colleague and mentor” in the departments of medicine and pathology.
His wife, Patricia Charache, MD, also worked in the pathology depart-
ment, as an infectious disease specialist and medical microbiologist,
before she passed away in 2015. Dr. Charache is survived by a daughter
and granddaughter.
Source: Johns Hopkins Medicine, February 8, 2019.
Druker said in a press release. “I am
thankful to the patients who went on
this journey with me, but we know there
is more work to be done, and our team
is dedicated to accelerating progress
to free the world from the burden of
cancer.”
Source: OHSU press release, February 4, 2019.
NYU Langone Health to
Establish Center for Blood
Cancers
NYU Langone Health’s Laura and Isaac
Perlmutter Cancer Center announced
that an anonymous donation of $75
million will be used to establish the
Center for Blood Cancers in New York.
The new facility and a state-of-the-
art program for multiple myeloma will
increase Perlmutter Cancer Center’s
capacity to research and treat hemato-
logic malignancies.
According to NYU Langone Health
representatives, the center will allow
the organization to expand services
for patients, boost new and ongoing
research efforts, and provide more
educational resources for students
and faculty at NYU School of Medicine.
Plans for the Center for Blood Cancers
also include expanded lab space and cell
processing facilities, as well as addi-
tional infusion and exam rooms.
Source: NYU Langone Health press release, January 29, 2019.
April 2019