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| January 4, 2011 |
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Top
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Legislation and Regulation |
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Clinical
Research |
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Association
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BMT Tandem Meetings |
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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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| Calendar |
• January
Phacilitate Cell & Gene Therapy Forum 2011
Jan. 24-26
The Grand Hyatt
Washington, D.C.
Stem Cells in Development, Tissue Homeostasis and Disease
Keystone Symposia
Jan. 30-Feb. 4
Eldorado Hotel & Spa
Santa Fe, New Mexico
• February
BMT Tandem Meetings
Combined ASBMT and CIBMTR annual meetings
Feb. 17-21
Hawaii Convention Center
Honolulu, Hawaii
• March
Clinical Practice Guidelines and Quality Cancer Care
National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN)
March 9-13
Westin Diplomat
Hollywood, Florida
Regenerative Medicine: Advancing Next Generation Therapies
14th Annual Hilton Head Workshop
March 16-19
Sea Pines Resort
Hilton Head Island, South Carolina
Association of Community Cancer Centers
37th Annual Meeting
March 24-26
Washington Hilton
Washington, D.C.
American Association of Tissue Banks (AATB)
15th Annual Spring Conference
March 25-29
Hyatt Regency Austin
Austin, Texas
• April
European Group for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (EBMT)
37th Annual Meeting
April 3-6
Le Palais des Congres de Paris
Paris, France
American Society of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology (ASPH/O)
24th Annual Meeting
April 13-16
Hilton Baltimore
Baltimore, Maryland
American Association for Cancer Research (AACR)
102nd Annual Meeting
April 2-6
Orange County Convention Center
Orlando, Florida
American Transplant Congress
American Society of Transplantation (AST)
April 30-May 4
Pennsylvania Convention Center
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• May
The IL-1 Family of Cytokines: From Basic Biology to Clinical Applications
May 8-11
Sandpearl Resort
Clearwater, Florida
Immunology 2011
American Association of Immunologists (AAI)
May 13-17
Moscone Center
San Francisco, California
American Society of Gene & Cell Therapy (ASGCT)
14th Annual Meeting
May 18-21
Seattle, Washington
International Society for Cellular Therapy (ISCT)
17th Annual Meeting
May 18-21
De Doelen Congress Centre
Rotterdam, Netherlands
11th International Symposium on Myelodysplastic Syndromes
MDS Foundation
May 18-21
Edinburgh, United Kingdom
• June
American Society for Apheresis (ASFA)
30th Annual Meeting
June 1-4
Westland Kierland Resort & Spa
Scottsdale, Arizona
American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO)
47th Annual Meeting
June 3-7
McCormick Place
Chicago, Illinois
International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR)
ISSCR 9th Annual Meeting
June 15-18
Metro Toronto Convention Centre
Toronto, Ontario
Canada
FOCIS 2011
Federation of Clinical Immunology Societies (FOCIS)
June 23-26
Washington, District of Columbia, USA
• 2012
BMT Tandem Meetings
Combined ASBMT and CIBMTR annual meetings
Feb. 1-5
Manchester Grand Hyatt Hotel
San Diego, California
• 2013
BMT Tandem Meetings
Combined ASBMT and CIBMTR annual meetings
Feb. 13-17
Salt Palace
Salt Lake City, Utah
• 2014
BMT Tandem Meetings
Combined ASBMT and CIBMTR annual meetings
Feb. 19-23
Gaylord Palms
Orlando, Florida
• 2015
BMT Tandem Meetings
Combined ASBMT and CIBMTR annual meetings
Feb. 11-15
Manchester Grand Hyatt Hotel
San Diego, California
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| Top
Stories |
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Stem cell transplant may have cured patient’s HIV infection
A man who underwent a stem cell transplant to treat leukemia might have also been cured of HIV infection. According to a report in the advance online edition of Blood, HIV was undetectable in the brain and cerebrospinal fluid 17 months after the transplant. 
Grant to study combining therapies to heal bone fractures
Researchers at the University of Virginia Health System are using a $100,000 grant from the Orthopaedic Research and Education Foundation to develop innovative ways of overcoming major recovery complications of bone fractures. This research involves using a combination of gene therapy and adult stem cell therapy to increase bone volume produced and vessel formation.
Stem cells cure paralysis in marmoset
Using induced pluripotent stem cells, researchers were able to restore partial mobility in a marmoset that had been paralyzed from the neck down by a spinal injury. The injection was given the ninth day after the injury, and the animal had recovered very close to normal after six weeks.
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 A Word from President John Barrett, MD
At the end of the last century, stem cell transplanters were frustrated by the generally held perception that the safe upper age limit for transplants was no more than 55 years. They knew that the majority of individuals developing hematologic malignancies who might benefit from a transplant were aged 60 or older. The advent of reduced intensity regimens has changed all that, and now transplants are being successfully performed in patients in their seventh and eighth decades, notably for myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) where stem cell transplant (SCT) remains the only reliable curative option. It is unfortunate, therefore, that MDS did not appear on the list of conditions covered by Medicare for SCT, and therefore MDS patients could not obtain Medicare support until leukemia ensued.
A breakthrough for MDS transplantation Medicare coverage
One of the most significant achievements for ASBMT in 2010, in collaboration with the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) and Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research (CIBMTR), was our successful lobbying of Medicare to consider coverage for MDS patients. The support of nearly 300 ASBMT members who wrote to CMS in support of this Medicare coverage was a critical part of our nationwide effort. As a result, on Aug. 4 Medicare posted a decision memo outlining its coverage of allogeneic transplants for MDS through the Coverage with Evidence Development (CED) mechanism. The CED allows the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to cover a treatment or procedure on a limited basis until enough data is collected for a final coverage determination to be made.
The next step was a study proposal by CIBMTR, which was approved by Medicare as eligible for CED. The CIBMTR two-part study began Dec. 15. The first part will utilize standard CIBMTR forms and reporting processes to evaluate the results of HCT [hematopoietic stem cell transplantation] in the Medicare population. Because Part I uses the existing CIBMTR observational database protocol and consent forms already approved at transplant centers, it does not require additional Institutional Review Board review. The second part will, per Medicare requirements, include a non-transplant control group and is in the beginning stages of development. We anticipate, of course, that the trial will demonstrate a treatment advantage for MDS patients receiving transplants, and it is gratifying to think that if and when MDS patients are reimbursed by Medicare it will have been the result of an evidenced-based decision.
What does this mean for the transplant
community
and our patients?
All MDS patients undergoing allogeneic SCT who consent to participate in the CIBMTR observational research database are eligible for Medicare coverage under the CED process. All U.S. centers will have received an invitation to participate in the CIBMTR study (see http://www.cibmtr.org/HCTforMDS for details). A separate communication will be sent from the NMDP Payor Policy with information on how to process claims with Medicare. This information is posted on the CIBMTR website and will be updated as additional information is available from CMS.
Where next?
For 2011, ASBMT has several reimbursement issues on the agenda. Reimbursement for allogeneic SCT for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma is another important task. Then we have to tackle the problem of obtaining proper reimbursement codes for donor search, and stem cell harvest. As the only representative of stem cell transplanters in the country, it is gratifying that our Society is getting things done that significantly contribute to providing a transplant option for all the patients needing a transplant.
-- John
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| Legislation and Regulation |
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Medicare coverage for MDS
Last year, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) received 264 comments from transplant physicians, other health care personnel and patients supporting coverage of allogeneic stem cell transplantation for myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). The ASBMT membership played a vital role in this effort to move the CMS toward approval. As a result, CMS has approved the CIBMTR CED protocol “Assessment of Stem Cell Transplantation in Medicare Beneficiaries with Myelodysplastic Syndrome and Related Disorders.” This will provide an opportunity to have allogeneic transplants for Medicare beneficiaries with MDS covered under the CMS Coverage with Evidence Development (CED) mechanism.
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| Clinical Research |
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MicroRNA patterns indicate origin of cells
Studies indicate that microRNA patterns can help identify the origin of a cell. According to a report in the Dec. 3 issue of Cell Stem Cell, the microRNA in a cancer cell is very different from that in a differentiated cell, allowing researchers to distinguish stem cells from other cells and skin cells from brain cells.
Stem cells turned into intestinal tissue
Scientists have created functioning human intestinal tissue using pluripotent stem cells. According to a report in the advance online edition of Nature, researchers performed a timed series of cell manipulations using growth factors to mimic embryonic intestinal development.
Model indicates why stem cells can’t repair
muscular dystrophy damage
A new animal model of Duchenne muscular dystrophy shows that human muscle stem cells are unable to keep up with the ongoing damage caused by the disease. Mice have significantly longer protective telomeres, which allow the cells to continue to divide and replenish the damaged muscle long after the human cells have reached their capacity for division.
Chitosan channels enhance stem cell survival rates
Use of chitosan channels enhanced the survival of transplanted neural stem/progenitor cells in rats. According to a report in the December issue of Neurosurgery, the channels were created to provide a “biocompatible scaffolding” to promote and guide the growth of transplanted neural stem cells.
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| Association
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Online voting under way for officers, directors
For the third time, the annual election of ASBMT officers and directors is being conducted online instead of by mailed paper ballot. Members qualified to vote in the election were sent instructions by broadcast e-mail on Dec. 13, 2010. The ballot deadline is Jan. 11, 2011.
2011 version of RFI forms released
The 2011 update of the ASBMT Request for Information (RFI) has been released, and the interactive forms are now available online. The RFI is used for submitting transplant program data and information to third-party payers.
Clinical research training course – new location
The ASBMT Clinical Research Training Course for fellows-in-training and junior faculty will be held in Santa Fe, N.M., in 2011. Applications are being accepted through March 1 for the course, which will be held July 13-18.
FACT accreditation report
The FACT accreditation report is now available. Currently, there are 183 blood and marrow transplant facilities that are FACT accredited, representing the overwhelming majority of facilities in the United States.
Education Book accompanies this month’s BBMT
The Education Book for the 2011 BMT Tandem Meetings is published as a supplement to the January issue of Biology of Blood and Marrow Transplantation. Fifteen chapters with 24 articles have been prepared by faculty of sessions at next month’s meetings in Hawaii.
Membership grows to record 1,584
ASBMT membership reached 1,584 at the end of 2010, continuing 14 consecutive years of growth. The Active Member category saw the largest increase, growing at an annual rate of 2 percent. Health professionals outside the U.S. and Canada comprise 25 percent of ASBMT members.
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| BMT TANDEM MEETINGS |
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Agenda is online for 2011 BMT Tandem Meetings
Last week while much of the country was gripped by bitter winter weather, Hawaii had daily highs in the range of 81 to 85 degrees -- a fine time for making final preparations to attend the 2011 BMT Tandem Meetings. The scientific program can be viewed online.
Housing deadline is Jan. 17 for annual meeting
Jan. 17 is the deadline for hotel reservations at group rates for the 2011 BMT Tandem Meetings. After that, accommodations on a space-available basis are no longer guaranteed.
Register for the Cellular Therapy Workshop
at the BMT Tandem Meetings
This workshop will provide an overview of the inspection and accreditation process, provide updates to several FACT initiatives, and include two tracks: the Overall Cellular Therapy Program Track and the Clinical Program Track. The Clinical Program Track will include information on donor eligibility versus donor suitability, therapy administration, bone marrow collection and clinical outcomes data monitoring. Separate registration is required.
First forum
New this year will be our first Tandem Clinical Practice Forum -- sessions designed for all allied health professionals that transcend across roles and all the various disciplines.
James L.M. Ferrara to present E. Donnall Thomas Lecture
James L.M. Ferrara, MD, of the University of Michigan Cancer Center, will present the E. Donnall Thomas Lecture at the 2011 BMT Tandem Meetings in Hawaii. His presentation, “Found in Translation: Advances in Diagnosing and Treating GVHD,” will be on Saturday, Feb. 19.
2011 Lifetime Achievement Award and Public Service Award
During 2011 BMT Tandem Meetings, ASBMT will present the 2011 Lifetime Achievement Award to Richard Champlin, and will present the 2011 Public Service Award to Robert Baitty.
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