Blood Podcast

In this week’s episode, we’ll review results of a phase 2 study showing the beneficial effects of a first-in-class factor D inhibitor as add-on therapy in PNH patients who remain anemic and are transfusion-dependent despite C5 inhibition. Next, we’ll review the work of researchers who have developed a neural network that they say is highly accurate in differentiating between bone marrow cell morph...

In this week’s episode, we’ll learn more about the application of machine learning in molecular subclassification and prognostication of acute myeloid leukemia or AML, discuss the role of aging bone marrow in leukemia progression, and learn more about the challenges in treating bleeding disorders of unknown cause.

In this week’s episode, we’ll review a research article showing beneficial effects of prenatal immunotherapy in a mouse model of anti-CD36-mediated fetal and neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia. Next, we’ll look at results of a simulation analysis suggesting that gene therapy for hemophilia B is more cost-effective than on-demand or prophylactic factor treatment. We’ll conclude with a report whic...

In this week’s episode, we’ll discuss an analysis of genetic risks for CMV infection after an allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant, learn more about a new multiplex gene editing approach to reactivate fetal hemoglobin in thalassemia, and discuss transcriptional rewiring of normal plasma cell development in light-chain amyloidosis and myeloma.

In this week’s episode, we’ll review results of a phase 3 randomized study demonstrating shorter time to neutrophil and platelet recovery with an ex vivo expanded hematopoietic progenitor cell product called omidubicel as compared to standard umbilical cord transplantation. Next, we’ll look at preliminary data on the development of lymphomas originating from piggyBac-modified CD19 CAR T-cells, sou...

In this week’s episode, we will review a study that prospectively followed tuberculosis patients after treatment initiation to evaluate iron handling during the resolution of inflammatory anemia. We will also examine clinical benefit and long-term safety of gamma-retroviral gene therapy in patients with adenosine deaminase deficient severe combined immunodeficiency.

In this week’s episode, we’ll review a study providing new insights on megakaryocyte diversity and function, including a unique subpopulation that may act as immune cells. Next, we’ll review research that intriguingly reveals a putative role for the PD1 gene in cutaneous T-cell lymphoma. Lastly, we’ll conclude with a report demonstrating a lack of cross-reaction between the antibodies that cause v...

In this week’s episode, we’ll review a study that demonstrates the efficacy of a synthetic inhibitor termed P-G6 that blocks P-selectin signaling and reduces thrombus formation in a pre-clinical model of non-occlusive venous thrombosis, learn more about how biallelic and single bZip CEBPA mutations have an equally favorable prognostic impact in acute myeloid leukemia, and examine the effects of mo...

In this week’s episode, we review results of preclinical investigations that sound a note of caution regarding the potential use of JAK inhibitors as treatment for hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (or HLH), research that provides new insights on how CD44 loss of function sensitizes AML cells to the BCL-2 inhibitor venetoclax, and conclude with a report that demonstrates cooperation between B cel...

In this week’s episode, we will review an integrated analysis of one of the largest adult BCR-ABL1-negative B-ALL patient cohorts treated in a single trial, learn more about the genotypic and phenotypic features of patients with clonal cytopenias, and look at a study showing that a serine protease expressed in the placenta cleaves α1-antitrypsin to generate a fragment that inhibits formation of ne...

In this week’s episode, we’ll review updated results of a phase 1b study that provide strong support for the use of fixed-duration venetoclax in patients with relapsed or refractory CLL. Next, we’ll review a research paper that provides new insights on the different subtypes of invariant natural killer T cells, which appear to have diverse immunoregulatory properties and anti-tumor effects. We wil...

In this week’s episode, we will review a study that shows that BCL11B is an important oncogene in acute leukemias with myeloid and T-lymphoid features, learn more about antibody responses to SARS-CoV-2 vaccination in lymphoma patients receiving B-cell directed therapies, and examine the role of programmed death ligand 1 (or PD-L1) and the PI 3 kinase-AKT survival pathway in delayed neutrophil apop...

In this week's episode, we will review a study that proposes IFN-λ therapy as a novel strategy to boost gut protection in GvHD, examine the immunomodulatory effects of decitabine in ITP, and learn about the discovery of TET2 mutations in chronic natural killer large granular lymphocyte leukemia

To reach the goal of curing currently incurable hematologic malignancies, we need to go beyond focusing on single gene mutations and gain deeper understanding of the consequences of genetic alterations on gene-regulatory pathways. Edited by John Crispino, these 5 cutting-edge reviews from leaders in the their fields not only summarize our current understanding of key pathways that contribute to my...

In this week's episode, we will review a report on a clinical prognostic tool that identifies which group of older, fit acute myeloid leukemia patients may derive survival benefit from intensive induction and consolidation chemotherapy, learn more about how pediatric acute myeloid leukemia cells connect with mesenchymal stromal cells and the potential to exploit these cell-cell contacts in AML tre...

In this week's episode, we’ll discuss the safety and efficacy of brentuximab vedotin in combination with nivolumab in patients with relapsed and refractory classical Hodgkin lymphoma, learn more about the aging signature of murine hematopoietic stem cells, and discuss the role of hepatocyte neogenin in iron homeostasis.

In this week's episode, we’ll start by reviewing an intriguing study that, while not randomized, calls into question whether less-intensive induction therapies provide a survival or quality of life benefit in older patients with AML. Next, we will review the somewhat surprising findings from human and mouse model studies demonstrating that platelets downregulate T cell activity during sepsis, a fi...

Today’s episode is a special edition that focuses exclusively on vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia, or VITT, a rare but potentially fatal syndrome associated with adenovirus-based COVID-19 vaccines. The VITT syndrome is characterized by thrombocytopenia and thrombosis in association with platelet-activating anti-platelet factor 4 antibodies. First, we’ll review an insightful Spotl...

In this week’s episode, we will learn more about the use of high-dose post-transplant cyclophosphamide in matched unrelated donors versus HLA haploidentical grafts, review prognostic factors and outcomes from the largest cohort of patients with angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma reported to date, and look at a study that suggests that high molecular weight kininogen contributes to acetaminophen-in...

In this week's episode, our studies include an analysis of thrombosis in pediatric patients with COVID-19, the predictive value of the CLL-international prognostic index in monoclonal B-cell lymphocytosis and Rai 0 stage CLL, and results from a phase 2 trial in newly diagnosed multiple myeloma patients treated with frontline carfilzomib, lenalidomide, and dexamethasone with autologous stem cell tr...

In this week's episode, we will review a study that addresses the issue of reconstitution of immunity to cytomegalovirus in transplant patients receiving the antiviral drug letermovir, learn more about the role extracellular vesicles play in forming a tumor supportive stromal cell niche in follicular lymphoma, and finally, look at a report identifying a mechanism that couples the treatment of acut...

Today’s podcast is a special edition that focuses exclusively on VEXAS syndrome, a newly identified adult-onset inflammatory syndrome with associated hematologic manifestations. VEXAS syndrome is a poor-prognosis disease caused by somatic mutations in the X-linked gene, UBA1. It was first reported by Beck and colleagues in the New England Journal of Medicine in December 2020.

In this week’s episode, we will review a study that uses a combination of mouse models to identify IL-19 as a potent cytokine capable of promoting expansion and proliferation of neutrophils, examine the effects of targeted therapies on autoimmune cytopenia in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia, and learn about the mechanism of excessive complement activation caused by mutations in factor H...

In this week’s episode, we will review the role of the hypoxia pathway in regulating neutrophil migration, explore the relationship between endothelial extracellular vesicles and the hemostatic effects of clotting Factor VIIa, and finally look at long-term outcomes with the BTK-inhibitor acalabrutinib in treatment-naive chronic lymphocytic leukemia patients.

Platelets are critical for hemostasis and thrombosis, but recent research highlights their role in many other processes, including inflammation, wound healing, and lymphangiogenesis. In this episode, Drs. José López, Elisabeth Battinelli, Craig Williams, and Owen McCarty discuss the review series on platelets and cancer. The series focuses on the emerging role of platelets in cancer, influencing t...