BMT Tandem Meetings
Feb. 13-17, 2008
San Diego, California

Therapies may eliminate immunosuppressives after transplant
With new therapies advancing, organ transplant patients may soon be able to stop taking long-term immunosuppressive drugs. Two reports in the Jan. 24 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine detail therapies designed to trick the immune system into thinking the organ came from the recipient.

Grants offered to research stem cells created from skin
A microchip that can isolate, count and analyze circulating tumor cells from a blood sample may offer a new tool for helping doctors detect cancer. The device, developed by a team at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, has microscopic posts that are coated with antibodies that recognize cancer cells.

Organ recipient changes blood type to match donor organ
After receiving a liver transplant from a young boy, a 9-year-old Australian girl’s body changed blood type from O negative to O positive, according to a report in the Jan. 24 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. At the same time, her new liver's blood stem cells invaded her body's bone marrow to take over her entire immune system. As a result, the girl was able to stop taking immunosuppressive drugs 17 months after the surgery.

 Modified stem cells home into bone
By modifying the surface of human mesenchymal stem cells, a precursor to bone-forming osteoblasts, researchers were able to direct the cells through the bloodstream into bone. According to a report in the advance online edition of Nature Medicine, researchers modified the surface of the stem cells to express the molecule HCELL, a homing receptor that seeks out the adhesion molecule E-selectin found on the lining of certain blood vessels, including those in bone. When injected into mice, the modified cells migrated to bone and made patches of human bone within the mouse bone.

 Protein that controls division of stem cells identified
A protein, called NFATc1, blocks the expression of a gene that provides the stem cell cycle with “go ahead” signals at certain checkpoints, essentially preventing the cell from dividing. According to a report in the Jan. 25 issue of Cell, this finding refutes the belief that stem cells divide infrequently to protect themselves from unnecessary wear and tear.

 Scientists isolate pancreatic stem cells in mice
Scientists have isolated pancreatic stem cells in adult mice, which they hope to program to generate insulin-producing beta cells. According to a report in the Jan. 25 issue of Cell, one interesting finding is that these adult progenitor cells are almost indistinguishable from embryonic progenitor cells.

 Adult stem cells work two ways to treat vascular disease
Multipotent adult progenitor stem cells from bone marrow can regenerate blood vessel and muscle tissue for treating peripheral vascular disease. According to the results of two research projects, published in the Jan. 2 issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, these cells are more effective when injected without pre-differentiation because they contribute in increasing the quantity of arteries and veins generated in the new area and enhance muscle regeneration.

  John Barrett, MD, will lead ASBMT in 2010
John Barrett, MD, has been chosen by mail ballot of ASBMT members to be the society’s vice president. The election places him in line to assume the presidency two years from now. Dr. Barrett is section chief for stem cell allotransplantation in the hematology branch of the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.

Edward Ball, MD, of Moores Cancer Center at the University of California, San Diego, was elected secretary. Newly elected directors are Kenneth Cooke, MD, of Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital, Cleveland; Joachim Deeg, MD, of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle; and Steven Devine, MD, of Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, Columbus. All will take office at the close of the BMT Tandem Meetings this month in San Diego.

  23 appointed to HRSA cord blood advisory panel
Members have been appointed to a new Health Resources and Services Administration advisory council on blood stem cell transplantation, and particularly matters related to cord blood under the C.W. Bill Young Cell Transplantation Program and the National Cord Blood Inventory (NCBI).

  Review addresses transplants for AML in adults
A comprehensive evidence-based review of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for acute myeloid leukemia in adults appears in the February issue of Biology of Blood and Marrow Transplantation. The review is the latest in the series of evidence-based reviews for specific diseases. An ASBMT position statement accompanies the review.

  Rainer Storb, MD, to receive Lifetime Achievement Award
A pioneer in less toxic forms of allogeneic marrow and blood stem cell transplants for malignant and non-malignant blood diseases has been chosen to receive the 2008 ASBMT Lifetime Achievement Award. Rainer Storb, MD, who heads the transplant biology program at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, will be presented the award at the ASBMT President’s Dinner Feb. 16 at the BMT Tandem Meetings.

  2008 version of RFI forms released
The 2008 update of the ASBMT Standardized Request for Information (RFI) has been released, and the interactive forms are available online. For the first time this year, the RFI is being accepted by the Blue Distinction Centers for Transplant. The RFI is used for submitting transplant program data and information to third-party payers when they request it.

  I.T. Summit participants give conference high marks
129 transplant facility administrators, data managers and information technologists attended an I.T. Summit last month on compliance with federal requirements for reporting outcomes of allogeneic stem cell transplants. The two-day conference, organized on short notice by CIBMTR and ASBMT, was held at the NMDP headquarters in Minneapolis. Nearly every submitted evaluation said that new ideas were being taken home to enhance data operations and that similar summits should be held in the future.

  Annual meeting in San Diego will have record attendance
Preparations are complete for the BMT Tandem Meetings, to be held Feb. 13-17 at the Manchester Grand Hyatt Hotel in San Diego. Nearly 2,300 have pre-registered. Last year’s total attendance was 1,830.

  Welcome reception set for Wednesday evening
“A Taste of Old Town San Diego” is the theme of the Welcome Reception for the BMT Tandem Meetings on the evening of the Opening Day, Feb. 13. Network with colleagues from around the world from 7:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. The Opening Day event differs from some past years when the reception has been held the night before.

  Medical directors to discuss outcomes reporting
This year’s Medical Directors Conference, scheduled for Feb. 16, will provide an up-to-the-minute look at how the BMT community is responding to a new federal law requiring reporting outcomes of allogeneic stem cell transplants to the Stem Cell Transplant Outcomes Database (SCTOD). The legal requirements will be considered within the context of treatment process validation and quality improvement.

  Full day of pediatric BMT sessions
A full day of sessions on hematopoietic stem cell transplants for children and adolescents will be on Feb. 14. The programs are coordinated by the ASBMT Pediatric BMT Special Interest Group and the Pediatric Blood and Marrow Transplant Consortium (PBMTC).

  Four allied health conferences will convene
Nearly 500 nurses, pharmacists, clinical research associates and administrators have pre-registered for the BMT Tandem Meetings. Each group has its own parallel track of sessions: Clinical Research Professionals (Feb. 12-14), BMT Center Administrators (Feb. 13-14), BMT Pharmacists (Feb. 15-17) and Transplant Nursing (Feb. 15-17).

  ASBMT President’s Dinner requires a ticket
Join ASBMT President Rob Soiffer, MD, for a celebration of advances in the BMT field, the announcement of research scholarships, and comments by Rainer Storb, MD, recipient of this year’s ASBMT Lifetime Achievement Award. The dinner is at 7:15 p.m. Feb. 16. Tickets can be purchased online or at the Registration Desk through noon, the day before the dinner.

  BMT Tandem Meetings Gala will be a battle of the bands
Put on your dancing shoes for music, beverages and fun at a “Battle of the Bands” after the President’s Dinner at 9:00 p.m. Feb. 16. No ticket required. Open to all meeting registrants.

  Special orientation session planned for fellows
A coffee break reception and orientation for fellows-in-training who are attending the BMT Tandem Meetings for the first time will be held the morning of the opening day. The reception will be at 10:00 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 13, in the Betsy A-C meeting room.

  Deadlines next week for poster authors
Authors of accepted abstracts are invited to submit their posters, free of charge, for the BMT Tandem Meetings CD. Also for a nominal fee, posters can be created online, professionally printed and delivered to the meetings in San Diego. Deadlines are next week.

  Travel grants awarded to 40 young investigators
The ASBMT Board of Directors has announced 40 travel grants of $1,000 each for young clinicians and investigators who are giving oral abstract presentations at the BMT Tandem Meetings.

  Not to be missed: Feb. 17 scientific program
The BMT Tandem Meetings will adjourn at 2:00 p.m. Feb 17. If you don’t stay for the final day, you’ll miss:
• A plenary session on transplants for acute leukemia
• Concurrent scientific sessions on graft failure after transplantation, and the aging stem cell and its niche
• Oral abstract sessions on immune reconstitution, leukemia, lymphoma, multiple myeloma, stem cell biology and solid tumors

  Transportation is easy between hotels
Transportation between the 10 convention hotels is easy, using the San Diego trolley. The circular route stops close to all of the hotels, including the Manchester Grand Hyatt headquarters, and has additional lines that reach the city’s top attractions.

  CME credit can be claimed online
Again this year, continuing medical education (CME) credit will be processed online. At computer terminals near the meeting registration desk and via the Internet within 30 days after returning home, meeting participants can complete evaluation forms, claim CME credit for sessions attended and print out a CME certificate.

  Take this month’s Clinical Challenge
A 48-year-old man is clinically better but has a worsening pulmonary infiltrate after 7 days of voriconazole treatment. Decide what you would do in this month’s Clinical Challenge in the left-hand column above.