2004

Christof von Kalle, MD, PhD, a physician / researcher at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, has been elected to the American Society for Clinical Investigation (ASCI).

Founded in 1908, ASCI is an honor society of physician-scientists. Researchers who are 45 years of age or younger are eligible for nomination to ASCI.

Dr. Kalle is the program leader of molecular and gene therapy in the Division of Experimental Hematology at Cincinnati Children's. Dr. Kalle was recognized for his pioneering work on gene therapy and vector insertion identification.

In the fall of 2002, gene therapy trials in France were halted when a three-year-old boy who had been cured of a fatal immune deficiency developed a leukemia-like disease. A few months later, a second boy who had been successfully treated for his severe combined immune deficiency also developed a similar disease.

Studies by Dr. Kalle revealed that the virus vector carrying the "therapeutic" gene had inserted itself next to a gene called LMO-2, which is known to play a role in leukemia. This apparently activated the LMO-2 gene, which resulted in abnormal cell growth. Dr. Kalle's studies focus on identifying these events at the gene level and developing an understanding of the underlying causes of the leukemia that developed.

Election to ASCI is recognition of a researcher's "significant contributions, at a relatively young age, to the understanding of human disease," according to ASCI. The Society counts among its more than 2,700 members many leaders in academic and industrial medicine, and many members also belong to the National Academy of Sciences and the Institute of Medicine. ASCI also has among its membership several winners of the Nobel Prize and the Lasker Award.

Dr. Kalle joins two other members of the Division of Experimental Hematology as a member of ASCI. David Williams, MD, director of Experimental Hematology, and Chris Baum, MD, were previously elected.