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March
1, 2006 |
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you are unable to view these articles or access the links,
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Top
Stories |
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Legislation and Regulation |
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Clinical
Research |
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Pharmaceutical News |
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Association
News |
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Calendar |
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Job &
Fellowship Connections |
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Monthly Journal |
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eNews
Archives |
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BMT Tandem
Meetings
Feb. 8-12, 2007
Keystone, Colorado |
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Calendar |
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• March
Cancer Susceptibility and Cancer Susceptibility Syndromes
American Association for Cancer Research (AACR)
March 1-5
Sheraton Maui
Maui, Hawaii
Frontiers of Immune Suppression
American Society of Transplantation (AST)
10th Annual Winter Symposium
March 16-19
Westin Resort & Spa Cancun
Cancun, Mexico
European Group for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (EBMT)
32nd Annual Meeting
March 19-22
Congress Centrum Hamburg
Hamburg, Germany
American Association of Blood Banks (AABB)
2006 Spring Conference
March 31-April 2
Westin City Center Hotel
Dallas, Texas
• April
American Association for Cancer Research (AACR)
97th Annual Meeting
April 1-5
Washington Convention Center
Washington, D.C.
National Bone Marrow Transplant Link (nbmtLINK)
11th Annual Education Forum
April 22
Livonia Civic Center Library
Livonia, Michigan
Canadian Blood and Marrow Transplant Group (CBMTG)
10th Biennial Conference
April 22-24
Shaw Conference Centre
Edmonton, Alberta
Responding to Hematologic Toxicity from a Nuclear Detonation
Event
Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
April 28
MSKCC Rockefeller Research Laboratories
New York, N.Y.
American Society of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology (ASPH/O)
19th Annual Meeting
April 28-May 1
San Francisco, California
• May
International Society for Cellular Therapy (ISCT)
12th Annual Meeting
May 4-7
Maritim proArte Hotel
Berlin, Germany
Cell Transplant Society (CTS)
8th International Congress
May 18-20
San Raffaele Congress Centre
Milan, Italy
2nd International Symposium on Childhood, Adolescent and
Young Adult Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma
Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons,
and the University of Giessen, Germany
May 18-20
Sheraton New York Hotel and Towers
New York, New York
BMT Education Forum: The New Normal for Patients, Caregivers
and Health Professionals
National Bone Marrow Transplant Link (nbmtLINK)
May 20
United Way of the Texas Gulf Coast Community Resource Center
Houston, Texas
American Society for Apheresis (ASFA)
27th Annual Meeting
May 23-26
Venetian Resort Hotel
Las Vegas, Nevada
• June
Federation of Clinical Immunology Societies (FOCIS)
6th Annual Conference
June 1-5
San Francisco Marriott
San Francisco, California
American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO)
42nd Annual Meeting
June 3-6
Georgia World Congress Center
Atlanta, Georgia
International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR)
4th Annual Meeting
June 29-July 1
Metro Toronto Convention Center
Toronto, Ontario
• July
World Transplant Congress 2006
American Society of Transplant Surgeons (ASTS)
and the American Society of Transplantation (AST)
July 22-27
Hynes Convention Center
Boston, Massachusetts
Society for Cryobiology
Cryo 2006: 43rd Meeting
July 24-27
Hamburg Chamber of Commerce
Hamburg, Germany
• August
International Society of Hematology (ISH)
31st World Congress
Aug. 9-12
Puerto Rico Convention Center
San Juan, Puerto Rico
Cytokines 2006: Molecular Biology & Human Diseases
International Cytokine Society (ICS)
Aug. 27-31
Hilton Stadtpark
Vienna, Austria
• September
Molecular Diagnostics in Cancer Therapeutic Development:
Maximizing Opportunities for Treatment
American Society for Cancer Research (ASCR)
Sept. 12-15
Hyatt Regency Chicago
Chicago, Illinois
German Society for Transfusion Medicine and Immunohematology
(DGTI)
in collaboration with the International Society for Cellular
Therapy-Europe (ISCT-Europe)
39th Annual Congress
Sept. 19-22
Congress Centre Messe
Frankfurt, Germany
American Society of Multicultural Health and Transplant
Professionals (ASMHTP)
14th Annual Conference
Sept. 22-24
Hyatt Regency
Dearborn, Michigan
6th Annual Somatic Cell Therapy Symposium
International Society for Cellular Therapy (ISCT)
with AABB and the FDA
Sept. 25-27
Bethesda, Maryland
International Society for Experimental Hematology (ISEH)
35th Annual Scientific Meeting
Sept. 27-30
Hyatt Regency
Minneapolis, Minnesota
10th Biennial National Symposium on Hematopoietic Cell
Transplantation
Stanford University School of Medicine
Sept. 28-30
Fairchild Auditorium
Stanford, California
• October
Tumor Immunology: An Integrated Perspective
American Society for Cancer Research (ASCR)
Oct. 4-8
InterContinental Miami
Miami, Florida
American Society for Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics (ASHI)
32th Annual Meeting
Oct. 16-20
San Diego, California
American Association of Blood Banks (AABB)
2006 Annual Meeting
Oct. 21-24
Miami Beach Convention Center
Miami Beach, Florida
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
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Top
Stories |
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Panel produces global stem cell research
guidelines
Sixty researchers, ethicists, journal editors and lawyers
from 14 countries have produced a set of global guidelines for
stem cell research, based on regulations in the United Kingdom.
Among their recommendations: that scientific journals and peer
review referees should set standards for submissions, ensuring
that all researchers adhere to the same rules and avoiding
publication of fraudulent work.  |
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Survival high for CML patients receiving allo stem cell
transplant
Patients with chronic myeloid leukemia who receive an
allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant and are in
remission after five years enjoy relatively low rates of
subsequent relapse and death. According to a study presented at
the BMT Tandem Meetings in February, survival at 15 years for
these patients is 87 percent, and the death rate approaches the
normal population after 15 years.
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USC receives gift to establish stem cell research institute
The University of Southern California has received a $25
million gift to construct the Broad Institute for Integrative
Biology and Stem Cell Research. The institute, funded by a
foundation established by philanthropist Eli Broad, will be
directed by Martin F. Pera, who is currently working in
Australia.
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Prostate cancer treatment in older patients extends survival
Treating prostate cancer in men over 65 years of age can
extend survival time by three years over the “watchful waiting”
approach typically taken, according to findings presented at the
Prostate Cancer Symposium in February. Although prostate cancer
can be a slow-moving disease, treated patients have a mean
survival time of 13 years, compared with 10 years for untreated
patients.
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Cord blood transplant improves
survival of children with AML
Treating children with acute myeloid leukemia using a stem
cell transplant from umbilical cord blood produces a survival
rate of about 40 percent, according to findings presented at the
BMT Tandem Meetings in February. The study involved 97 patients
who were referred to Duke University between 1995 and 2005 after
chemotherapy and, in some cases, a transplant had failed.
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Word from President
Robert Negrin, MD
I remember the elation. It was as if the community that I
had worked so hard and so long to join had extended its
hand:
“Rob, you’re doing well. We want you to know that your
work is worthy. We want to invest in that work and in
you.”
I was a couple of years out of training — a struggling
assistant professor. The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society
decided that I should receive a Translational Research
Award. There’s no way to overstate the impact. To me, it
was professional validation. To my superiors, it was a
demonstration that I had the potential to “earn my keep.”
Encouraging the work of young people in blood and marrow
transplantation and cellular therapy is clearly one of the
most important things that we can do as a Society.
After a few years of impressive gains, the NIH budget is
now flat, which means a decline in spending power for 2006
and 2007. The first people to feel the pain will be our
fellows and assistant professors. Their grant support is
the most tenuous and the least diversified.
If the plight of young people isn’t enough for your
concern, there’s the ripple effect on our entire field.
Young laboratory scientists are needed to keep novel
concepts in basic research moving toward the clinic, and
young physician scientists are needed for the
translational studies that turn those concepts into
practical therapies. Without a constant flow of young
people and their energy, a slow-down in therapeutic
progress and stagnation becomes more than a risk.
ASBMT can’t pick up all the slack, but we can be part of
the solution. As we’ve grown and matured as a Society,
we’ve been able to do more and more to encourage and
support those who are new to our field. With the help of
our pharmaceutical and health care company partners, our
achievements to date have been substantial:
• $500,000 in new investigator awards
• Travel grants for more than 125 young investigators
earning the best scores on abstracts submitted for recent
BMT Tandem Meetings
• Editorial awards totaling $80,000 for basic research and
clinical research articles published in BBMT
• $1,000 honoraria to young authors preparing reviews for
BBMT
• Waived ASBMT membership dues for 380 fellows-in-training
over the past three years
We’re now on the cusp of one of our most ambitious
projects to date. The Board of Directors has approved a
plan to create an ASBMT Clinical Research Training
Institute with an open-for-business date in the summer of
2007. The plan is to provide scholarships for 10 or 12
fellows and junior faculty for a week of intensive
classroom instruction and mentoring with senior members of
our community.
The institute’s curriculum will be the principles and
tools of clinical research in blood and marrow
transplantation and the translation of basic knowledge
from the laboratory to the clinic. You’ll hear more about
this as preparations progress throughout this year.
Our Society’s leaders over the past several years have
placed a premium on encouraging and supporting young
investigators and clinicians. Their accomplishments have
been impressive and provide a compass for the coming year
as we stretch to achieve even more.
– Rob |
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Legislation and Regulation |
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Hatch vows to lead fight for funding embryonic stem cell
research
A key advocate for cancer research in the Senate said he
will lead a fight on the Senate floor to pass legislation that
will allow the federal government to provide funds for embryonic
stem cell research. Sen. Orrin G. Hatch (R-Utah) told attendees
at the BMT Tandem Meetings that he’s hopeful the debate will
take place “in the near future.”
Maryland to considers $25 million a year for stem cell
research
Two House committees in Maryland have approved legislation
to provide $25 million a year in state funds for stem cell
research, with high priority given to research on cells
extracted from human embryos. The bill now will be brought
before the House, and bills also have been introduced in the
Senate.
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Clinical Research |
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Patients with severe rheumatoid arthritis more likely to
develop lymphoma
Patients with the most severe rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are
70 times more likely to develop lymphoma than patients with mild
RA. According to a study published in the March 2006 issue of
the journal Arthritis and Rheumatism, a study of more
than 750 RA patients in Sweden indicated that RA treatment may
reduce the chances of developing lymphoma in high-risk patients
by reducing inflammation.
Stem cell transplant can halt, reverse autoimmune
progression
Stem cell transplantation can halt or reverse the
progression of autoimmune diseases, including multiple
sclerosis, scleroderma, Crohns' disease and lupus. According to
a study presented at the BMT Tandem Meetings in February, stem
cell transplantation can restore blood cells destroyed by
treatment of these diseases, reconstituting a healthy new immune
system that functions normally.
Hormone therapy reduces bone loss in men with prostate
cancer
Among men undergoing androgen deprivation therapy to treat
prostate cancer, administration of zoledronic acid every three
months significantly increased bone density during the first 12
months of treatment. Researchers with the Oregon Health and
Science University Cancer Institute found that use of this
bisphosphonate also has a positive effect on bone markers in the
blood and urine.
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Pharmaceutical News |
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Eraxis approved to treat candidemia
Eraxis (anidulafungin), from Pfizer Inc., has received U.S.
Food and Drug Administration approval to treat candidemia, the
most deadly of the common hospital-acquired bloodstream
infections. In clinical trials, Eraxis was more efficacious than
fluconazole and was shown to be compatible with many medicines
commonly used with patients with candidemia who have other
serious health complications.
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Association
News |
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Position statements address BMT for adult, pediatric ALL
ASBMT has published position statements on the role of
cytotoxic therapy with hematopoietic stem cell transplantation
for acute lymphoblastic leukemia in adults and in children.
Based on recently published evidence-based reviews, the
statements appear in this month’s issue of Biology of Blood
and Marrow Transplantation.
Rob Negrin installed as ASBMT president
Robert Negrin, MD, associate professor of medicine and
director of the Division of Bone Marrow Transplantation at
Stanford University, has been installed as ASBMT president.
Helen Heslop, MD, of Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, is the
newly elected vice president, to become president in 2008.
Attendance exceeds 2,000 for BMT Tandem Meetings
The registration for the BMT Tandem Meetings in Honolulu was
2,030 — a 25 percent increase over last year’s record.
Attendees came from 43 countries, including 139 from Japan,
Australia, South Korea and 10 other Pacific Rim countries.
Six abstracts chosen as best at Honolulu meetings
A record 510 abstracts submitted by investigators in 35
countries were accepted for the 2006 BMT Tandem Meetings. Six of
the abstracts were selected for awards by the abstract review
committees.
ASBMT Lifetime Achievement Award presented to Karl Blume
Karl Blume, MD, professor of medicine in the Division of
Bone Marrow Transplantation at Stanford University Medical
Center, is the recipient of the 2006 ASBMT Lifetime Achievement
Award. He is one of the founders of ASBMT and in 1995 was a
founding co-editor of Biology of Blood and Marrow
Transplantation. The award, conferred during the President’s
Dinner at the BMT Tandem Meetings, is supported by a grant from
Pfizer Inc.
Orrin Hatch receives ASBMT Public Service Award
Sen. Orrin G. Hatch (R-Utah), a leading congressional
advocate for cancer research, blood and marrow transplantation
and stem cell research, received the 2006 ASBMT Public Service
Award at the BMT Tandem Meetings in Honolulu.
Additional copies of ‘Education Book’ can be purchased
The Education Book for the BMT Tandem Meetings has 18
articles written by the chairs of plenary and concurrent
scientific sessions. Additional copies are available for $20
each.
BMT Tandem Meetings abstracts can be viewed online
Abstracts accepted for the BMT Tandem Meetings were
published in the February 2006 issue of Biology of Blood and
Marrow Transplantation (Vol. 12, No. 2, Supplement) and also
are indexed and accessible online.
Recordings available for Honolulu presentations
Audio CDs, MP3 files and CD-ROMs with PowerPoint visuals can
be purchased online for the BMT Tandem Meetings plenary and
concurrent scientific sessions and oral abstract
sessions. Symposia are available on audio CD. Also available are recordings of the parallel
conferences of the oncology nurses, BMT pharmacists, BMT
administrative directors and clinical research professionals.
Two new investigators win BBMT editorial awards
Two medical scientists are the recipients of editorial
awards for new investigators for their articles published
this past year in Biology of Blood and Marrow Transplantation.
View, order photos from Honolulu social events
View 251 photos from the “E Komo Mai!” Welcome Reception and
114 photos from the ASBMT President’s Dinner. Prints can be
ordered online.
46 young investigators receive travel grants
The ASBMT Board of Directors awarded $1,000 travel grants to
23 young investigators invited to give oral abstract
presentations at the BMT Tandem Meetings in Honolulu, and $750
travel grants to 23 additional young investigators who gave
poster presentations.
CME audioconference will consider high-risk pediatric ALL
A CME audioconference on “Pediatric Acute Lymphoblastic
Leukemia: Advances in the Management of High-Risk Patients” with
will be conducted on Wednesday, March 29, sponsored by the
National Marrow Donor Program. Farid Boulad, MD, of Memorial
Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center will discuss therapeutic
strategies at the time of diagnosis to identify patients with
refractory disease, in relapse, and at very high-risk for
relapse. Findings and conclusions of the new ASBMT
evidence-based review of pediatric ALL will be discussed.
Teleconference will address cell therapy for tissue repair
“Cellular Therapy for Tissue Repair and Stem Cell
Transplantation” is the topic of a 90-minute teleconference
developed by ASBMT for transmission across the country on April
26. Designed for physicians, technologists, residents/fellows,
nurses and managers/supervisors, the teleconference is part of a
series sponsored by the AABB.
Review explores adenoviral infections
For immunosuppressed patients, adenoviruses can be a cause
of morbidity and mortality, with limited treatment options. In
particular, pediatric recipients of allogeneic hematopoietic
stem cell transplantation frequently develop infections early in
the post-transplantation period. A review in the March 2006
issue of Biology of Blood and Marrow Transplantation
explores the advantages and limitations of adoptive T-cell
immunotherapy for the prophylaxis and treatment of adenovirus
infection post-transplantation.
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