The therapy, developed in a research project sponsored by the National Institutes of Health and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, still must undergo extensive human clinical trials.

Lawrence Lamb's research began at Palmetto Richland Memorial Hospital in 1992 when he was tracking the immunological recovery of patients who had undergone mismatched bone marrow transplants. The studies revealed that a particular type of immune defense cell, gamma delta T-cells, were plentiful in patients who had the highest survival rates.

"Later we were able to show that the gamma delta T-cells could kill primary leukemia cells, particularly acute lymphoblastic leukemia," said Lamb, a research faculty member in the Department of Pediatrics who earned a Ph.D. from the School of Medicine in 1991. "Although most patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia are cured with conventional chemotherapy, those who fail treatment often do not fare well, even after a bone marrow transplant. Targeted cellular immunotherapy may offer a cure for these patients."

The mismatched bone marrow transplant program at Palmetto Richland Memorial Hospital no longer exists--a victim of hospital budget cuts--but Lamb's research results might soon be put to use. He is hoping clinical trials for the gamma delta T-cell therapy can begin as early as this fall with the University of Wisconsin at Madison as a possible clinical research partner.

"The goal is to generate a cell line from the patient or patient's sibling or parent that could be used for the therapy," Lamb said.

Lamb's research lab, located on the Palmetto Richland Memorial Hospital campus, also provides quality control services for the Red Cross, which collects various human cells for transplant purposes.

"In addition to providing funds through testing services, our cooperative work with the American Red Cross Center for Cellular Therapy allows us to participate in clinical transplant laboratory work, which was lost after the closure of the allogeneic transplant program of Palmetto Richland," Lamb said.

Lamb's laboratory also collaborates with the National Cancer Institute Pathology Section and several biotech firms that are developing immunotherapy protocols.

"It is a wonderful way to be of service and to learn the business as well as the science," he said.