Special Event 2009 Robert A. Kyle Lifetime Achievement Award
HONORING PROF. JEAN-LUC HAROUSSEAU AND HIS WORK
The Award
The Seventh Annual Robert A. Kyle
Nearly a century ago, Dr. William Mayo set the
Lifetime Achievement Award
standard for treatment of patients at Mayo
The Recipient
Clinic with these words: "The needs of the patient
are the only needs to be considered." In 2003, the
Prof. Jean-Luc Harousseau
IMF bestowed the first annual Lifetime Achievement
Professor of Hematology and Director of the Cancer Center
Award to a physician whose work against multiple
René Gauducheau at Nantes, France
myeloma reflects the dedication
and compassion inherent in Dr. Mayo's vow. The IMF
Prof.HarousseauwasborninNantes
chose to name this award for Dr. Robert Kyle, whose
in 1948, where he has spent almost
life and work give new meaning to Dr. Mayo's words.
all his personal and professional life.
He joined the faculty of medicine in
In his more than 40 years at Mayo Clinic, Dr. Kyle has
Nantes in 1965, and moved to Paris
never wavered from his commitment to the needs
in 1972, where he spent four years
of patients with myeloma. He has devoted his life's
as Interne des Hôpitaux de Paris. He
Dr. Robert Kyle
work to them. He has gained recognition the world
was then appointed as Assistant in the
over as a pioneer and respected leader in the advancement of research,
Department of Hematology chaired by
clinical treatment, and education about myeloma.
Prof. Jean Bernard at Hôpital St-Louis.
When Brian Novis sought to learn more about his disease, he was looking
During this period he trained in hema-
for the finest doctor available to help him. When he heard about Dr. Kyle,
tology and his main topic was the treatment of acute leukemias.
Brian didn't know at the time that Dr. Kyle was consid-
In 1980, at the age of 32, he became the
ered to be the "grandfather" of myeloma treatment.
youngest professor of hematology in France.
Later, when Brian Novis and Dr. Brian Durie decided to
He returned to Nantes where he creat-
create an international foundation dedicated to help-
ed the department of hematology of the
ing others with myeloma, Dr. Kyle was the first person
University Hospital, including the Pediatric
they contacted. Dr. Kyle agreed to collaborate with the
Onco-Hematology Unit and the Bone Marrow
two Brians, and became a founding member of the
Transplantation Unit, with the help of Prof.
International Myeloma Foundation's Board of Directors
Noël Milpied. He became Head of Department
and chairman of its Scientific Advisory Board, a position
when he was only 36. At that time he was
he still holds today.
mostly involved in autologous and allogeneic
stem cell transplantation, and he created the
Dr. Kyle is a sought-after presenter at IMF clinical con-
multicentric French group GOELAMS initially
ferences and workshops, and is the most frequently requested speaker at
focused on the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia.
IMF Patient & Family Seminars. Through IMF programs, Dr. Kyle has made
himself accessible to thousands of myeloma patients and their families
Prof. Harousseau's interest in myeloma started in 1983 with the pub-
around the world. His guidance and encouragement are as important to
lication in Lancet of "High-dose melphalan in high-risk myeloma" by
the IMF today as when the IMF first began.
Drs. MacElwain and Powles. He became one of the pioneers of high-
dose therapy in myeloma, and was also one of the founders of the
WhenDr.KylewasfirstapproachedaboutreceivingtheRobertA.KyleLifetime
Intergroupe Francophone du Myélome
Achievement Award, his response to Susie Novis was, "I'm not done yet."
(IFM) with Prof. Michel Attal and Prof.
His humility, dedication, sense of humor, and caring and compassionate
Thierry Facon. The IFM has conducted
nature are among the many reasons for which the IMF named this award
a number of randomized trials that
in his honor.
have contributed significantly to the
major improvements in the prognosis
of myeloma in the past 20 years.
The major contribution of IFM trials
was initially in the field of high-dose
therapy (conventional chemotherapy
Prof. and Mrs.Harousseau
versus autologous transplantation, conditioning regimen, single versus
double transplantation, tandem auto versus mini allogeneic transplanta-
tion). More recently, the IFM introduced novel agents in frontline ther-
apy (thalidomide as maintenance, MP-thalidomide versus MP in elderly
Left to right: Prof. Mario Boccadoro,
Susie Novis, Prof. Jean-Luc Harousseau,
patients, bortezomib in the induction treatment). The large number of
Florence Harousseau, and Dr. Brian G.M. Durie
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www.myeloma.org
Special Event 2009 Robert A. Kyle Lifetime Achievement Award
patients recruited for the IFM trials also
Dr. Kyle asked both Prof. Heinz Ludwig and
permitted analysis of prognostic factors
Prof. Mario Boccadoro to stand for a nice round
and of the impact of complete or very
of applause to recognize them as being previ-
good partial response achievement.
ous recipients of the Robert A. Kyle Lifetime
Achievement Award.
In the early 1990s, Prof. Harousseau
convinced Dr. Régis Bataille, who was
Prof. Philippe Moreau, who has worked closely with Prof. Harousseu
already a world-renowned researcher in
for many years, gave a moving speech about the importance of
myeloma, to join him in Nantes and build
Prof. Harousseau's contribution to the field of myeloma, his legacy as
a Center for Research on Myeloma "from
co-founder of the Intergroupe Francophone du Myélome, the French
bench to bedside." Their work has ranged
national myeloma research consortium, and his tremendous dedication
from laboratory research on the phenotype of the malignant plasma
to myeloma patients in France and around the world. MT
cell, bone disease, and mechanisms of apoptosis and resistance with
Dr. Martine Amiot and Dr. Catherine Pellat; to clinical trials with Dr. Philippe
Moreau; to translational research, including FISH, gene expression
profile, and more recently SNP-arrays, with Hervé Avet-Loiseau.
Prof. Harousseau is the author
or co-author of more than 400
peer-reviewed articles, includ-
ing papers in high-impact factor
journals (New England Journal
Prof. Philippe Moreau of the CHU de Nantes gave an extensive and
of Medicine, Blood, Journal of
entertaining speech about Prof. Harousseau's remarkable tenure there
Clinical Oncology) and of a num-
ber of book chapters. He is very
involved in the life of the French Society of Hematology, and is a member
of several scientific societies. He has a passion for education and is proud
of having created in Nantes one of the best French teams of coworkers in
the field of hematology. In October 2008, he left the department of hema-
tology he created and developed, and has been appointed as Director of
the Cancer Center of Nantes.
The Ceremony
The Seventh Annual Robert A. Kyle Lifetime Achievement Award ceremony
Dr. Catherine Pellat and
Dr. Michel Delforge and Greg Brozeit
took place on May 15 in Monte Carlo, Monaco. Along with many of his col-
Dr. Brain G.M. Durie
leagues from around Europe, Prof. Harousseau
was in Monte Carlo participating as faculty for
the already-scheduled New Developments in
Multiple Myeloma Clinical Conference. The
Fairmont Hotel was the perfect venue for both
the conference and the award ceremony.
A trio of classical musicians greeted Prof.
Harousseau, his wife Florence, and their invited
Prof. Heinz Ludwig and
guests for a celebratory glass of champagne and
David Girard, Susie Novis
Dr. Brian G.M. Durie
Prof. Jean-Luc Harousseau
and Prof. Antonio Palumbo
hors d'oeuvres. Susie Novis and Dr. Brian Durie
gave a short welcome to the more than 150 colleagues and friends in
The IMF would like to thank the following sponsors for their support
attendance before announc-
of this prestigious event:
ing the commencement of
the special dinner in Prof.
Platinum Sponsor
Harousseau's honor.
Janssen- Cilag
After dinner, Drs. Kyle and
Bronze Sponsors
Durie spoke about the impor-
The Binding Site
tance of Prof. Harousseau's
Genentech
many
contributions
to
Genzyme
myeloma research and treat-
Prof. Jean-Luc Harousseau (left) being
MDS Oncology
ment. During the ceremony,
congratulated by Prof. Jesús San Miguel
Proteolix
800-452-CURE (2873)
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