| |
|
August
1, 2005 |
| |
| If
you are unable to view these articles or access the links,
please visit the ASBMT Web Site at
www.asbmt.org to read this
issue. To be removed from this distribution list, please see
instructions at bottom. |
| |
 |
Top
Stories |
| |
|
|
|
Legislation and Regulation |
| |
|
|
|
Clinical
Research |
| |
|
|
|
Pharmaceutical News |
|
|
|
|
|
Association
News |
| |
|
|
|
Calendar |
| |
|
|
|
Job &
Fellowship Connections |
|
|
|
|
|
Monthly Journal |
|
|
|
|
|
eNews
Archives |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
BMT Tandem
Meetings
Feb. 16-20, 2006
Honolulu, Hawaii |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
Is it time to
rethink and revise our grading systems for assessing severity of chronic
and acute graft-versus-host disease? Register your opinion in this
month’s reader poll. |
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
Last Month's Poll Results |
Too frequently, the general public
does not differentiate between contemporary stem
cell transplantation and research with embryonic
stem cells. If ASBMT were to address this
problem, which of the following do you think
would be the most feasible and successful?
51% – Work to raise public awareness about what
stem cell transplants achieve and what
transplant clinicians and investigators study
and do.
34% – Revise our own terminology and use phrases
other than "stem cell transplants" to describe
what we do.
15% – Encourage the media to stop indiscriminate
use of terms like “stem cell research” and “stem
cell legislation” when reporting on
investigations with human embryos.
0% – None of the above. The problem is too large
for us to have any impact. |
|
|
|
|
|
Calendar |
|
• August
International Pediatric
Transplant Congress
International Pediatric Transplant Association (IPTA)
Aug. 6-9
Congress Innsbruck Center
Innsbruck, Austria
• September
Sickle Cell Disease Association of America (SCDAA)
33rd Annual Convention
Sept. 7-10
Renaissance Harborplace Hotel
Baltimore, Maryland
American Society of Transplantation (AST)
Clinical Trial Symposium: Optimizing Clinical Research in
Transplantation
Sept. 9-10
Sofitel Hotel Chicago O'Hare
Rosemont, Illinois
Targeted and Tailored Therapies in Hematology/Oncology
Loyola University Health Systems
Sept. 10
Renaissance Chicago Hotel
Chicago, Illinois
5th Annual Somatic Cell Therapy Symposium
International Society for Cellular Therapy (ISCT)
with AABB and the FDA
Sept. 15-18
Hyatt Regency Bethesda
Bethesda, Maryland
8th Biennial Oncology, Hematology and Stem Cell
Transplantation Conference
Alta Bates Comprehensive Cancer Center
Sept. 15-18
The Ritz-Carlton
Half Moon Bay, California
International Society of Paediatric Oncology (ISPO)
37th Congress
Sept. 21-24
Vancouver Convention and Exhibition Centre
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Advances in Breast Cancer Research: Genetics, Biology and
Clinical Applications
American Association for Cancer Research (AACR)
Sept. 21-25
Hilton La Jolla Torrey Pines
La Jolla, California
American Society of Multicultural Health and Transplant
Professionals (ASMHTP)
13th Annual Conference
Sept. 22-24
Hotel Nikko
San Francisco, California
• October
American Association of Blood Banks (AABB)
58th Annual Meeting
Oct. 15-18
Seattle Convention Center
Seattle, Washington
Bone Marrow Failure Scientific Symposium
Aplastic Anemia & MDS International Foundation
with NCI and NIH Office of Rare Diseases
Oct. 17-19
Loews L’Enfant Plaza Hotel
Washington, D.C.
American Society for Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics (ASHI)
31th Annual Meeting
Oct. 17-21
Hilton Washington Hotel
Washington, D.C.
International Society for Interferon and Cytokine Research (ISICR)
Annual Meeting
Oct. 20-24
Shanghai International Everbright Convention Center
Shanghai, China
International Cytokine Society (ICS)
Oct. 27-31
Annual International Cytokine Conference
Lotte Hotel Jamsil
Seoul, Korea
European Society of Gene Therapy (ESGT)
13th Annual Meeting
Oct 29-Nov. 1
Hotel Hilton Progue
Prague, Czech Republic
International Conference on Frontiers in Cancer Prevention
Research
American Association for Cancer Research (AACR)
Oct. 30-Nov. 2
Baltimore Convention Center
Baltimore, Maryland
• November
National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP)
18th Annual Council Meeting
Nov. 4-6
Hilton Minneapolis Hotel
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Anti-Angiogenesis and Drug Delivery to Tumors: Bench to
Bedside and Back
American Association for Cancer Research (AACR)
Nov. 9-13
The Westin Waltham-Boston
Waltham-Boston, Massachusetts
Chronic Myeloid Leukemia in the 21st Century
3rd European School of Hematology International Conference
Nov. 11-13
Cotone Congress Center
Genoa, Italy
International Conference on Molecular Targets and Cancer
Therapeutics: Discovery, Biology and Clinical Applications
American Association for Cancer Research (AACR)
Nov. 14-18
Pennsylvania Convention Center
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Cancer, Proteases, and the Tumor Microenvironment
American Association for Cancer Research (AACR)
Nov. 30-Dec. 4
Hyatt Regency Coconut Point Resort and Spa
Bonita Springs, Florida
• December
American Society of Hematology (ASH)
47th Annual Meeting
Dec. 3-6
Ernest N. Morial Convention Center
New Orleans, Louisiana
American Society for Cell Biology (ASCB)
45th Annual Meeting
Dec. 10-14
Moscone Center
San Francisco, California
2006
BMT Tandem Meetings
(Combined ASBMT and CIBMTR annual meetings)
Feb. 16-20
Hawaii Convention Center
Honolulu, Hawaii
2007
BMT Tandem Meetings
(Combined ASBMT and CIBMTR annual meetings)
Feb. 8-12
Keystone Conference Center
Keystone, Colorado
2008
BMT Tandem Meetings
(Combined ASBMT and CIBMTR annual meetings)
Feb. 13-17
Manchester Grand Hyatt Hotel
San Diego, California
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
Top
Stories |
| |
Proteins identified that cause stem cells to
leave bone marrow
A group of proteins known as the Rac GTPase family regulates
the location and movement of stem cells in bone marrow, leading
to the development of a compound to accelerate stem cell
mobilization. According to a study to be published in the Aug. 6
issue of the journal Nature Medicine, inhibiting activity
of these proteins in mice allows researchers to "instruct" stem
cells to move from the bone marrow and into the blood stream,
where they can easily be collected.  |
|
|
Frist endorses human embryonic stem cell
research
In a speech to Senate
Friday, Majority Leader Bill Frist endorsed government-funded
human embryonic stem cell research, reversing his previous
position. Frist, a Republican from Tennessee, is a heart-lung
transplant surgeon who may be planning to run for president in
2008.
|
|
|
Cancer research association releases stem
cell statement
The board of directors of the American Association of Cancer
Research has adopted a position statement on stem cell research,
including research involving human embryonic stem cells. Among
other points, the AACR asserts that human stem cell research
will elucidate critical aspects of cell growth and
differentiation that are altered during the formation and growth
of tumors. |
|
|
|
Chemical munition exposure increases brain
cancer deaths in Gulf War veterans
Veterans of the Gulf War in Iraq who were exposed to
chemical munitions are nearly twice as likely as their unexposed
peers to die of brain cancer. According to a report in the
August 2005 issue of the American Journal of Public Health,
veterans exposed for one day were 72 percent more likely and
those exposed for two days were 226 percent more likely to die
of brain cancer.
|
| |
Colon cancer screening bypasses many poor, smokers, aliens
People who are poor, uninsured, smokers or born outside the
United States are less likely to be adequately screened for
colorectal cancer, according to a study to be published in the Sept. 1
issue of the journal Cancer. Researchers surveyed 9,802
New Yorkers and discovered that while 55 percent of participants
50 years or older had been screened recently, certain groups
were either less likely to be screened or screened using a
method other than colonoscopy. |
|
|
|
 A
Word from President Nelson Chao, M.D.
What is the problem keeping the most ASBMT members up at
night?
The question isn’t rhetorical. It has an answer.
In June, we invited ASBMT members to complete an online
survey to help with the updating of our three-year
strategic plan. Several hundred of you participated in the
survey, which included this open-ended question: “What is
the major BMT issue that keeps you up at night?”
The most frequently mentioned concern, identified by 29
percent of respondents, was graft-versus-host disease.
Perhaps you aren’t surprised.
Paul Martin, M.D., at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research
Center and CIBMTR staff are working on a component of the
problem: criteria for defining GvHD severity. He and Dr.
Mary Flowers will be chairing a workshop on GvHD
assessment at the 2006 BMT Tandem Meetings in February in
Honolulu.
He notes that current criteria for assessing acute and
chronic GvHD were developed in the 1970s and haven’t
changed much, although clinical practice since then has
significantly altered the presentation and natural history
of the disease.
Have you ever felt that current systems for assessing peak
severity of acute GvHD miss the point … that analyses
based on the presence of “clinical extensive” chronic GvHD
are too simplistic … that non-myeloablative regimens have
changed the way we should analyze GvHD … that a
consolidated assessment that includes both acute and
chronic GvHD might be useful … that research manuscripts
should pay more attention to the overall clinical impact
of GvHD?
If your answer is “yes” to any of these, you may be
interested in a project that Dr. Martin is conducting to
get ready for the workshop next February. He is gathering
opinions about thresholds at which GvHD becomes “serious.”
His online survey presents a series of brief case
histories in which respondents are asked to identify the
point at which the disease crosses the “serious”
threshold.
He is looking for survey participants. If you think this
would be interesting and valuable, click the following
link to get information and participate:
Case Studies to Define Serious GvHD
Speaking of workshops in Honolulu, I’m pleased to announce
that online
registration, housing and abstract submission
are now open. Oct. 3 is the deadline for early
registration and abstract submission. The 2006 BMT Tandem
Meetings will be held Feb. 16-20.
This will be an extraordinary international meeting with a
very strong scientific program. Everyone seems primed for
Hawaii in mid-February. But several people have commented
on the cost of attending the meeting. Before making any
regrettable assumptions, check our Web site for travel and
lodging
cost comparisons for Honolulu and other venues
where we’ve met in recent years. I think you’ll be
pleasantly surprised.
Nearly all of us have to justify travel budgets to someone
-- an employer, a department head, a spouse -- and the
comparisons on our Web site just might help you make the
case that travel and lodging for this meeting in Hawaii
isn’t a lot different from other meeting locations across
the United States.
The key, as always, is to register and book air travel
early, and reserve your hotel accommodations within our
housing blocks at convention hotels to take advantage of
some very attractive group rates that have been negotiated
for the meetings.
Whether this is your first trip or you return often to the
Islands, you probably won’t find a better opportunity to
combine study, camaraderie, recreation and relaxation.
Mahalo and Aloha!
– Nelson |
|
|
|
|
Clinical Research |
| |
Gene may provide molecular target for treating breast
cancer
TRPS-1, a gene that regulates normal embryonic development,
is found at high levels in patients with all forms of breast
cancer. According to a study published in the Aug. 2 issue of
the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the gene is
made in small amounts in normal breast tissue but becomes
over-expressed in breast cancer cells, giving researchers a
possible molecular target to treat breast cancer.
Specific mouth bacteria linked to squamous cell carcinoma
Three different types of mouth bacteria are associated with
oral squamous cell carcinoma, the most common form of oral
cancer. According to a study published in the July 7 issue of
the Journal of Translational Medicine, comparisons of bacteria
samples from healthy patients and patients with oral cancer
revealed unusually high levels of C. gingivalis, P.
melaninogenica and S. mitis in patients with oral cancer.
Protein destroys cell marker that helps prevent liver
cancer
A protein called gankyrin causes liver cancer by tagging for
death the protein that determines which cells in the liver
should replicate. According to a study in the July issue of the
journal Cancer Cell, the p53 protein is destroyed, allowing
damaged cancer cells to continue dividing and grow into tumors.
Stem cell treatment repairs heart damage in pigs
By injecting stem cells harvested from the bone marrow of
one pig into the damaged heart of another pig, researchers were
able to restore heart function and repair damaged heart muscle
by 50 percent to 75 percent. Scientists at Johns Hopkins now
plan to test 48 people in a Phase I clinical trial, with results
expected in mid-2006. |
| |
|
Pharmaceutical News |
Scottish biotech company receives U.S. patent extensions
Stem Cell Sciences in Scotland has received extensions to
its U.S. patent rights and plans to open a business development
subsidiary in the United States next year. The extensions relate
to “stem cell selection” technology, which covers methods of
enriching for any type of mammalian stem cell, from any cell
source, based on introduced genes.
|
| |
|
Association
News |
| |
|
Major enhancements added to online job and fellowship banks
Significant upgrades have been announced for the Job
Connection and the Fellowship Connection that are
located on the ASBMT Web site. Among them is a new “Job Alert”
system that sends an e-mail when a newly posted job or
fellowship matches pre-determined search criteria -- especially
useful for those who are only passively seeking new
opportunities.
Registration opens for 2006 BMT Tandem Meetings in Honolulu
Online registration and housing reservations are open for
the 2006 BMT Tandem Meetings that will be held Feb. 16-20 in
Honolulu. On a single Web page, registrants can navigate to
meeting registration, housing reservations, preliminary program,
abstract submission, travel discounts and local tours.
Information also is provided that compares the cost of travel
and lodging for Hawaii versus other convention locations.
Abstract submission deadline is Oct. 3 for Hawaii meeting
Abstracts for the BMT Tandem Meetings in Honolulu will be
accepted through Oct. 3. Invitations for oral presentation will
be offered to about 60 authors whose abstracts receive the
highest scores from the review committees. ASBMT will provide
travel grants of $1,000 each to young investigators whose
abstracts are accepted for oral presentation.
Comments sought for draft Uniform Donor History Questionnaire
A Task Force that includes representatives of ASBMT, FACT,
ISCT and AABB has developed a “Uniform Donor History
Questionnaire for Hematopoietic Progenitor Cell Products.” The
questionnaire is designed to meet FDA, FACT and AABB
requirements for screening donors of hematopoietic progenitor
cells, particularly with respect to infectious disease, risk
behavior and travel history. The questionnaire is intended to
supplement institutional policies and procedures in donor
selection, and its use is voluntary. The task force is inviting
comments on the draft questionnaire through Aug. 19.
New edition of administrators networking directory issued
A new edition of its Networking Directory has been
issued by the BMT Center Administrative Directors Special
Interest Group (SIG), a component within ASBMT. A benefit of
membership, the directory lists administrators who are willing
to share professional expertise on budgeting, cost containment,
coding, marketing, accreditation and 33 other cross-indexed
topics pertaining to BMT facility management. The directory
includes 25 administrators who are appearing in the publication
for the first time.
ASBMT Board approves Journal expansion in 2006
For the third consecutive year, Biology of Blood and
Marrow Transplantation will grow by another 96 pages
beginning Jan. 1. Since 2004, the number of editorial pages and
size of the journal has increased by 38 percent. The growth is
the result of an ever-increasing number of quality manuscripts
and the economic health of the journal, said Dr. Daniel Weisdorf,
chair of the ASBMT Publications Committee.
Revised guidelines on timing for transplant consultation
The National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) and ASBMT have
updated and re-issued “Guidelines on Recommended Timing for
Transplant Consultation.” The recommendations identify
prognostic factors for patients at risk of disease progression
using standard therapy, and provide criteria for identifying
patients who should be evaluated for transplantation. The
guidelines are based on current clinical practice, the medical
literature and recent ASBMT evidence-based reviews. They are
intended for use in patient counseling and initial discussion
during development of a treatment plan that may include
transplantation.
NMDP offers online resource for referring physicians
The updated “Guidelines on Recommended Timing for Transplant
Consultation,” described above, are included in an online
resource center for referring physicians maintained by the
National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP). The online center provides
information on recent advances in unrelated donor transplants,
transplant outcomes data, practical guidance on when and how to
refer a patient for transplant consultation, and other services
and resources for physicians who have patients who are potential
candidates for unrelated donor or cord blood transplant.
FACT announces new accreditations
Three blood and marrow transplant facilities achieved
accreditation and 14 others earned accreditation renewals during
the three months ending in June, according to the Foundation for
the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy (FACT). In addition, two
cord blood banks were granted NetCord/FACT accreditation. The
total number of FACT-accredited facilities is now 132.
Treatment recommendations for post-transplant thrombotic
microangiopathy
A committee of the BMT Clinical Trials Network (BMTCTN) has
developed a name and definition for “post-transplant thrombotic
microangiopathy,” a devastating complication after hematopoietic
stem cell transplantation. Treatment recommendations and
precautions are offered in a review that appears in the August
issue of Biology of Blood and Marrow Transplantation.
CME audioconference provides update on MDS
Dr. H. Joachim Deeg of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research
Center will examine emerging data in MDS and discuss current
treatment strategies including transplantation in a live CME
audioconference on Sept 23. “Myelodysplastic Syndrome: Making
Treatment Decisions in an Evolving Field” is sponsored by the
National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP), the Center for
International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research (CIBMTR) and
the Medical College of Wisconsin.
Physician's handbook to cellular therapy published
The AABB has published Cellular Therapy: A Physician's
Handbook for medical professionals, attending physicians,
house officers, students, nurses, technologists and other
medical personnel. The handbook was developed with ASBMT, the
International Society for Cellular Therapy and the National
Marrow Donor Program. The editors are Drs. Edward Snyder and
Rebecca Haley.
ASBMT monthly poll: Grading GvHD
Is it time to rethink and revise our grading systems for
assessing severity of chronic and acute graft-versus-host
disease? Register your opinion in this month’s reader poll.
|
|
