Albrecht Submits NIH Grant Application

Kudos to Tara Albrecht, assistant professor, and her entire team for the resubmission of her NIH R01 application entitled: "Build StaMINA: A tailored exercise intervention to improve physical function and QoL in adults with acute leukemia." This proposal requests funds for a 5-year period with a start date of July 1, 2020.

Decreased physical function in adults with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a common and concerning consequence of the disease and the intense treatment regimens necessary for survival. Unfortunately, for adults with AML their physical function diminishes so significantly both during and after treatment that they are often unable to function at pre-cancer levels. Currently, there are no clinical interventions directed at assessing or managing the physical function and other common symptoms in this patient population. Self-management interventions (SMI) such as physical activity (PA) in adults with solid tumors is associated with a wide range of benefits that includes improved physical function, cognition and symptoms. However, the use of PA to improve outcomes for those with hematologic malignancies is understudied. Unfortunately, the availability of supportive care interventions for adults with acute leukemia is limited. Thus, there is a critical need for clinically feasible interventions to support adults with acute leukemia. Therefore, we propose to test the efficacy of a tailored physical activity intervention for adults receiving consolidation chemotherapy for AML, through a randomized controlled trial (RCT). Build StaMINA (Biobehavioral Self-Management INtervention using physical Activity) was developed to target improvements in physical function and other patient reported health outcomes through a personalized prescribed home-based PA program delivered over six months. The Build StaMINA group will receive a personalized PA program that includes both home-based cardiovascular exercises and evidencebased strength and balance exercises. This PA program will be modified over time based on participants improvements in physical function. The attention control group will receive a monthly newsletter detailing the benefits of PA and specific exercises to complete both during and after chemotherapy treatment. The primary outcome is physical function at 6 months. We will also assess the efficacy of the Build StaMINA intervention group compared to the attention control group on cognition, symptom severity, and biomarkers at 6 months. If successful Build StaMINA has the potential to not only make a positive, clinically significant impact on the lives of adults with AML, a vulnerable and understudied population, but also inform mechanisms related to therapeutic interventions that may mitigate negative consequences for patients.