General Sessions
Many of these sessions will be available on DVD and webcast through the ASH Web site after the annual meeting.
Saturday, December 6
Ham-Wasserman Lecture
Saturday, December 6, 12:30 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.
| Title: |
Acute Myeloid Leukemia: The Challenge of Capturing Disease Variety |
| Speaker: |
Bob Löwenberg, MD, PhD, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, Netherlands |
Fifty years ago when the American Society of Hematology was founded, the diagnosis of AML was based solely on microscopic evaluation. It was considered one monolithic disease for which "one-size-fits-all" chemotherapy was available. Recent therapeutic and diagnostic developments have created a realistic perspective of personalized therapeutics in AML. Numerous genetic abnormalities (i.e., cytogenetics, gene mutations, and expression abnormalities) have meanwhile been discovered. Examples of clinically relevant gene aberrations involve CEBP-alpha, RAS, nucleophosmin-1, FLT-3, WT1, EVI-1, MN-1, and ERG, but there may be more to come. The remarkable heterogeneity is a reflection of the underlying somatic genetic abnormalities in transformed hematopoietic stem cells that, as successive events over years, have accumulated in the neoplastic clone of a patient’s leukemia during the evolution of the disease. As these genetic changes perturb diverse cellular pathways and functions, they may confer a profound impact upon the clinical phenotype of the disease and treatment response. In this presentation, Dr. Löwenberg will review recent insights into the prognostic impact of chromosomal abnormalities and genomic abnormalities, highlight the relationship of microRNA patterns to the clinical variability of AML, and discuss the abilities to construct decision algorithms for individualized therapies, such as targeted drugs and allogeneic stem cell transplantation.
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Sunday, December 7
ASH/ASCO Joint Symposium
Sunday, December 7, 9:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
| Title: |
Clinical Oncology Update: Studies from the 2008 ASCO Annual Meeting |
| Co-Chairs: |
Kenneth Kaushansky, MD, President, American Society of Hematology, University of California – San Diego, San Diego, CA |
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Richard L. Schilsky, MD, President, American Society of Clinical Oncology, University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine, Chicago, IL |
The ASH/ASCO Joint Symposium will be a review of some of the best science from the 2008 ASCO Annual Meeting and the presentations will be delivered by the investigators who contributed to these clinical research successes. Attendees who want an overview of the latest clinical oncology research to complement the research presented at the ASH annual meeting will find this session of value.
ASH/EHA Plenary Forum: 50 Years of Progress in Hematology
Sunday, December 7, 12:30 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.
| Title: |
Three Red-Cell Stories – Human Aspects of Scientific Discovery |
| Co-Chairs: |
Kenneth Kaushansky, MD, President, American Society of Hematology, University of California – San Diego, San Diego, CA |
| Willem E. Fibbe, MD, PhD, President, European Hematology Association, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, Netherlands |
Speaker: |
Peter Agre, MD, The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD |
With the 50th anniversary of the American Society of Hematology, it seems appropriate to take inventory of the impact of hematologic research on science in general. We are fortunate to have Dr. Peter Agre, winner of the 2003 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, speak on his work on water channels in erythrocytes, and that of others who started out working on a hematologic problem, only to find it develop onto a much broader scientific stage.
Announcement of Awards
Sunday, December 7, 1:30 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Mentor Awards
In recognition of the value ASH places on mentorship, the Mentor Award was created to reward outstanding role models in the hematology community. Individuals from any country or branch of hematology who have had a sustained career commitment to mentoring, a significant positive impact on their mentees’ careers, and through their mentees have advanced research and patient care in the field of hematology are eligible for the award.
Outstanding Service Award
ASH presents the Outstanding Service Award each year to an individual in the public or private sector who has displayed effective "behind-the-scenes" leadership in areas relevant to the mission of the Society. Last year’s winner was Griffin Rodgers, MD, Director of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, for his significant contributions to hematology and his work to increase the number of minority scholars in academic and research areas of the specialty.
Public Service Award
ASH presents the Public Service Award to an elected public official who has demonstrated effective leadership on issues of importance to hematology. Last year, Representatives Jesse Jackson (D-IL) and Edward Markey (D-MA) both received this award for their outspoken leadership in support of the National Institutes of
Health.
Wallace H. Coulter Award for Lifetime Achievement in Hematology
This award, named for Wallace Henry Coulter, a prolific inventor who made important contributions to hematology and to ASH, is bestowed on an individual who has demonstrated a lifetime commitment and outstanding contribution to hematology, and who has made a significant impact on education, research, and/or practice.
The 2008 Wallace H. Coulter Award for Lifetime Achievement in Hematology will be presented to Robert Kyle, MD, of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, for his contributions to the study of multiple myeloma, monoclonal gammopathies, amyloidosis, and related plasma-cell disorders. Throughout his 50-year career as a physician-researcher, educator, and consultant, he has focused on defining these diseases, understanding their pathogenesis, presentation, and prognosis, and designing and evaluating therapeutic approaches. In addition, he has authored more than a thousand publications and trained more than 200 practicing hematologists.
Plenary Scientific Session
Sunday, December 7, 2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
During this prestigious session that is traditionally a highlight of the annual meeting, attendees will hear the presentations of the most groundbreaking abstracts selected by the Program Committee from among the thousands submitted from around the world. The speakers will be announced on the ASH Web site when the abstracts are posted online in early November.
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Monday, December 8
E. Donnall Thomas Lecture
Monday, December 8, 9:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
| Title: |
Biology Lessons From Human Disease—the Pathophysiology of Bone Marrow Failure |
| Speaker: |
Neal S. Young, MD, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD |
Clinical observations of patients with bone marrow failure have led to insights into the biology of autoimmunity, viral pathogenesis, and cancer. Historically, aplastic anemia has been regarded in isolation and as heterogeneous and refractory to laboratory investigation. Bone marrow destruction is now understood to be effected by the immune system, and patients respond to immunosuppressive therapies, which have markedly prolonged survival. The etiology is poorly understood, but epidemiology has suggested environmental risk factors rather than drugs and exposure to toxins. B19 parvovirus, while not etiologic of aplastic anemia, is directly toxic to erythroid progenitors, and both acute and persistent infection result in profound anemia. Marrow failure syndromes can evolve into myelodysplasia and leukemia. Telomere shortening, whether genetic, iatrogenic, or physiologic, appears to be the common link between organ failure and malignant transformation.
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Tuesday, December 9
Announcement of the Dameshek Prize and the Stratton Medal
Tuesday, December 9, 9:30 a.m. – 9:45 a.m.
William Dameshek Prize
The William Dameshek Prize was named for the late Dr. William Dameshek, a past president of ASH and the original editor of Blood, to recognize a recent outstanding contribution to the field of hematology. The 2008 Dameshek Prize will be awarded to Kenneth Anderson, MD, of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, MA, for his contributions to the treatment of myeloma. Dr. Anderson has advanced the field by establishing a new paradigm focused not only on the malignant cell, but also on the microenvironment for the identification of molecularly-targeted therapies. His rapid translation of his pre-clinical discoveries into phase I-III trials have substantially improved the clinical outcome for myeloma patients.
Henry M. Stratton Medal
The Stratton Medal was named for the late Henry M. Stratton, a co-founder of the publishing house of Grune and Stratton, to honor an individual whose well-recognized contributions to hematology have taken place over a period of several years. The 2008 Stratton Medal goes to Clara D. Bloomfield, MD, of The Ohio State University in Columbus, OH, for her remarkable achievements in the area of hematologic malignancies, especially acute myelogenous leukemia, for more than three decades. Dr. Bloomfield has been a major contributor to the understanding of the biology of these diseases and the practical use of biologic information in diagnosis, classification, and determining prognosis and selection of curative therapeutic approaches.
Presidential Symposium
Tuesday, December 9, 9:45 a.m. – 11:15 a.m.
| Title: |
Hematopoietic Stem Cells |
| Chair: |
Kenneth Kaushansky, MD, President, American Society of Hematology, University of California - San Diego, San Diego, CA |
| Speakers: |
Stuart H. Orkin, MD, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA
Hematopoietic Stem Cells: The Determinants of Stem-ness |
Amy Wagers, PhD, Joslin Diabetes Center, Boston, MA
Stem Cell Trafficking: Implications for Stem Cell Function |
Francoise Dieterlen-Lièvre, PhD, National Center for Scientific Research, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
The Hematopoietic Stem Cell Niche |
Hematopoietic stem cells were postulated to exist more than 100 years ago. Experimental verification of their existence in mice was provided by Drs. James Till and Ernest McCulloch in 1961, and the clinical use of HSCs was pioneered by E. Donnall Thomas in the late 1960s. In addition to their role in the cure of a variety of malignancies, severe autoimmune disorders, and states of marrow failure, experimental study of HSCs has served as the road map for our understanding of stem cell development in all of mammalian biology. The transcription factors and growth-promoting cytokines required for stem cell self-renewal and expansion were first identified in HSCs. The notion of stem cell trafficking and migration and the molecular bases for these properties were first determined for HSCs. And the concept of a nurturing microenvironment that provides critical survival and quiescence signals and governs the total body levels of stem cells has been best evaluated for the marrow stem cell niche.
The 2008 Presidential Symposium will bring together three eminent biomedical scientists who have made landmark contributions to our understanding of HSC biology. Dr. Stuart Orkin will discuss the molecular determinants of "stem-ness," the properties that allow for self-renewal and expansion, and that govern the fate of stem cells once they begin to differentiate into the formed elements of the blood. Dr. Amy Wagers will then discuss the cellular and molecular bases for stem cell migration, comparing the process for HSCs with that of other organs. Finally, Dr. Francoise Dieterlen-Lièvre will discuss the HSC niche, focusing our attention on the cellular anatomy, the changing sites of hematopoiesis during development, and the cell surface molecules and soluble growth factors that contribute to HSC survival, proliferation, and differentiation.
Business Meeting
Tuesday, December 9, 11:15 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
At least one month prior to the annual meeting, reports on ASH’s financial status, Blood, educational awards, and information about the Society’s leadership nominations are made available on the ASH Web site for review by ASH members. The brief business meeting offers a forum for members to raise issues of concern regarding the information presented in these documents. The business meeting also concludes with the traditional passing of the gavel to the new ASH President.
Best of ASH
Tuesday, December 9, 12:00 noon – 1:00 p.m.
| Co-Chairs: |
Linda J. Burns, MD, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN |
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Elaine A. Muchmore, MD, VA San Diego Health Care System, San Diego, CA
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J. Evan Sadler, MD, PhD, Washington University Medical School, St. Louis, MO |
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Leonard I. Zon, MD, Children’s Hospital Boston, Boston, MA |
Before heading home on Tuesday, make time to attend "Best of ASH" to hear a distillation of the most important "take-away" themes from the meeting. With more than 3,000 abstracts presented over four days, it is impossible to attend every session. The expert panelists at Best of ASH will help ensure that you don't miss any key findings at this one-hour session that focuses on the hottest topics at the meeting. This is one session that should not be missed, so plan accordingly.
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