Pacific Heart Lung & Blood Institute

SERVES AS A CENTER OF CROSS-DISCIPLINARY SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH THAT SIGNIFICANTLY CONTRIBUTES TO DISCOVERIES OF NEW TREATMENTS FOR HEART, LUNG, AND BLOOD DISEASES, AND TO PROVIDE A PLATFORM FOR MEDICAL EDUCATION FOR BOTH CONSUMERS AND PROFESSIONALS

THE PACIFIC HEART, LUNG & BLOOD INSTITUTE (PHLBI) FOCUSES ON ORPHAN DISEASES OF THE HEART, LUNG AND BLOOD THAT RECEIVE LITTLE ATTENTION AND FUNDING. ONE OF THE DIVISIONS OF PHLBI, THE PACIFIC MESOTHELIOMA CENTER (PMC), IS CURRENTLY DEVELOPING CANCER THERAPIES USING MESENCHYMAL STEM CELLS (MSCS) DERIVED FROM PLACENTA AND BONE MARROW. THESE CELLS ARE MODIFIED TO EXPRESS LARGE AMOUNTS OF INTERLEUKIN 12, WHICH STIMULATES THE IMMUNE SYSTEM TO REJECT CANCER CELLS. WE WERE AWARDED WITH OUR MESENCHYMAL STEM CELL PROJECT IN 2018. OUR TWO WORLD-CLASS RESEARCH SCIENTISTS, DR. MASAHIDE TONE AND DR. YUKIKO TONE, CONTINUE THEIR IMPORTANT INVESTIGATIVE RESEARCH. MASAHIDE TONE WHO RECEIVED HIS PHD AT TOHOKU UNIVERSITY IN JAPAN AND HIS WIFE YUKIKO TONE RECEIVED HER DSC AT TOKYO METROPOLITAN UNIVERSITY IN JAPAN. BOTH SCIENTISTS HAVE WORKED AT THE UNIVERSITIES OF CAMBRIDGE AND OXFORD IN THE UK, AND THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA AND CEDARS SINAI MEDICAL CENTER IN LOS ANGELES. THEY CONTINUE TO COLLABORATE WITH OUR SCIENTIFIC ADVISOR, DR. ROBERT B. CAMERON, MD, FACS, WHO IS PROFESSOR OF THORACIC SURGERY, SURGICAL ONCOLOGY AT UCLA, DIRECTOR OF THE UCLA MESOTHELIOMA COMPREHENSIVE RESEARCH PROGRAM AT THE DAVID GEFFEN SCHOOL OF MEDICINE AT UCLA, AND CHIEF OF THORACIC SURGERY AT THE WEST LOS ANGELES VETERANS ADMINISTRATION. A STRENGTH IN OUR INSTITUTE IS THAT THE CLINICAL AND RESEARCH TEAMS ARE DIRECTLY CONNECTED, ALLOWING US ACCESS TO PATIENT SPECIMENS FOR OUR TISSUE BANK, WHICH IS THE BEST ENVIRONMENT IN WHICH TO DEVELOP CANCER IMMUNOTHERAPY STRATEGIES. THIS POSITIONS US FAVORABLY OVER OTHER RESEARCH INSTITUTIONS FOR RESEARCH BREAKTHROUGHS. ESTABLISHING NEW THERAPEUTIC STRATEGIES IS OUR HIGHEST PRIORITY.INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON MALIGNANT PLEURAL MESOTHELIOMADUE TO COVID 19, WE DID NOT PUT ON OUR INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON MALIGNANT PLEURAL MESOTHELIOMA. ADVOCACYTHE PMC STRIVES FOR A HEALTHY AMERICA BY ADVOCATING FOR A CARCINOGEN-FREE ENVIRONMENT, INFORMING THE PUBLIC ABOUT THE USE OF ASBESTOS IN AMERICA, AND MOBILIZING THE PUBLIC TO ENSURE ASBESTOS REFORM THROUGH A COMPLETE AND TOTAL BAN. PATIENT SUPPORT GROUPTHIS MARKS THE SIXTH YEAR SINCE PMC BEGAN OFFERING MONTHLY PATIENT SUPPORT GROUP MEETINGS. THE SUPPORT GROUP LED BY PMC NURSE PRACTITIONER LIEN HUA-FENG AND COORDINATED BY CHRISTINA MCSHERRY WAS CREATED TO GIVE PATIENTS OF MESOTHELIOMA AN OUTLET TO ASK QUESTIONS, SHARE STORIES, AND RELEASE DIFFICULT EMOTIONS. THE GROUP HELPS CAREGIVERS CONNECT WITH OTHER CARE-GIVERS WHO CAN DIRECTLY RELATE TO THEIR EXPERIENCES. INTERNATIONAL TISSUE BANKTHE PHLBI RECEIVED INSTITUTIONAL REVIEW BOARD (IRB) APPROVAL IN 2016 FOR ITS INTERNATIONAL TISSUE BANK. DISEASES OF THE HEART, LUNG AND BLOOD AFFECT A LARGE NUMBER OF PEOPLE IN THE U.S. AND THROUGHOUT THE WORLD EACH YEAR. IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT BOTH PERSONAL HEALTH INFORMATION AND TISSUE SAMPLES ARE COLLECTED FROM AS MANY PATIENTS AS POSSIBLE IN ORDER TO UNDERSTAND: THE NORMAL TISSUE BIOLOGY THE NATURAL HISTORY OF THE DISEASE OUTCOMES FROM CURRENT TREATMENTS THE ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF POTENTIAL FUTURE NOVEL THERAPIES PHLBI IS SOLICITING TISSUE SPECIMENS AND SEEKS STUDY PARTICIPANTS WHO WISH TO DONATE THEIR TISSUE AND PERSONAL HEALTH INFORMATION FOR CURRENT AND FUTURE RESEARCH AT THE INSTITUTE. THE 10TH ANNUAL WALK/HIKE FOR MESOTHELIOMA WAS VIRTUAL IN 2021THE 10TH ANNUAL 5K WALK/HIKE FOR MESOTHELIOMA TOOK PLACE ON SUNDAY, OCTOBER 21ST, 2020. WALKERS CHOSE THEIR ROUTE, TOOK GREAT PICTURES AND VIDEOS WHICH WE SHARED WITH EVERYONE. WE HAD 35 TEAMS AND 220 WALKERS RAISED A STAGGERING WITH TEAMS ALL OVER THE WORLD, INCLUDING PORTUGAL, THE UNITED KINGDOM, AUSTRIA, AND JAPAN, AS WELL AS IN CITIES ACROSS THE UNITED STATES. WALKING PHOENIXES VIRTUAL CONCERTSTO CELEBRATE JOHNNY CASHS BIRTHDAY, THE WALKING PHOENIXES A LOS ANGELES BASED JOHNNY CASH TRIBUTE BAND, PUT ON TWO VIRTUAL SHOWS. HE FIRST SHOW WAS ON FEBRUARY 27TH AND THE SECOND WAS ON MARCH 27TH. GUEST APPEARANCES BY JAMES KRUK PAYING TRIBUTE TO ELVIS AND IRISH DANCER AND CHOREOGRAPHER KENNEDY MCGILL. THE EVENTS RAISED $83,750.00 27TH AND THE SECOND WAS ON MARCH 27TH. VOICES OF CLASSIC SOUL VIRTUAL CONCERTON JUNE 17TH, MEMBERS OF VOICES OF CLASSIC SOUL PERFORMED CLASSIC HITS SUCH AS UNDER THE BOARDWALK, STAND BY ME AND MY GIRL. JOE BLUNT, JOE COLEMAN AND THEO PEOPLES ARE THE FORMER SINGERS OF THE PLATTERS, THE DRIFTERS AND THE FOUR TOPS. THE CONCERT RAISED $30,472. DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER CASINO EVENING, NOVEMBER 18TH 2021OVER 200 PEOPLE ATTENDED THE FIRST CASINO EVENING, DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER WHICH WAS HELD AT THE BEAUTIFUL TAGLYAN COMPLEX IN HOLLYWOOD. COCKTAILS, APPETIZERS, DINNER WITH DELICIOUS WINE, GAMES, FABULOUS PRIZES AND A LIVE AND SILENT AUCTION. THE EVENT RAISED JUST UNDER $200,000. THE PACIFIC HEART, LUNG & BLOOD INSTITUTE THE MISSION OF THE PACIFIC HEART, LUNG & BLOOD INSTITUTE IS TO SERVE AS A CENTER OF CROSS-DISCIPLINARY SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH THAT SIGNIFICANTLY CONTRIBUTES TO DISCOVERIES OF NEW TREATMENTS FOR HEART, LUNG, AND BLOOD DISEASES, AND TO PROVIDE A PLATFORM FOR MEDICAL EDUCATION FOR BOTH CONSUMERS AND PROFESSIONALS THAT IMPROVES ACCESSIBILITY TO EFFECTIVE TREATMENTS OF THESE DISEASES AND ENHANCES PREVENTION OF THESE CONDITIONS IN THE GENERAL POPULATION. THE PACIFIC MESO CENTERMISSION: THE PACIFIC MESO CENTERS MISSION IS TO BETTER SERVE MESOTHELIOMA PATIENTS THROUGHOUT THE UNITED STATES BY SUPPORTING THE FIRST-OF-ITS-KIND NATIONAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE DESIGNED TO IMPROVE THEIR LONGEVITY AND QUALITY OF LIFE, AND TO DISCOVER INNOVATIVE THERAPIES FOR TREATING MALIGNANT PLEURAL MESOTHELIOMA (MPM) AS A CHRONIC, TREATABLE DISEASE.