Blood Podcast

In this week’s episode, we will review a study that reveals a previously unknown role for the canonical Wnt signaling pathway in the regulation of granulocyte production in steady state and emergency granulopoiesis, examine the discordance in different assays that measure factor VIII activity after adenoviral-associated gene therapy, and learn about the dynamics of declining antibody levels in repeat Covid-19 convalescent plasma donors.

In this week’s episode, we will review an proof-of concept study using the bispecific antibody AFM13 in combination with a check-point inhibitor in patients with relapsed or refractory Hodgkin lymphoma, learn more about how iron restriction might be a promising new therapy for congenital erythropoietic porphyria, and review a manuscript that provides novel molecular insights into the requirement for RUNX1 in a mouse model of inversion 16 acute myeloid leukemia, providing a path forward for new therapies to treat this subgroup of AML.

In this week’s episode, we will review a study on the involvement of lysine-specific, we’ll cover some of the latest findings in COVID-19, multiple myeloma, and myelodysplastic syndromes. First, we’ll review an observational, multicenter study suggesting that convalescent plasma with anti-SARS-CoVid-2 antibodies may be a promising therapy in B-cell depleted patients who have prolonged COVID-19 symptoms. Next, we’ll discuss a research article showing that inhibition of JAK-STAT3 signaling with ruxolitinib could upregulate CD38 expression, thereby enhancing daratumumab-mediated cytotoxicity in multiple myeloma. Finally, we’ll review a report showing for the first time that in MDS, machine learning algorithms can be used to reveal novel associations between morphologic features and genetic lesions that may have important prognostic implications.

In this week’s episode, we will review a study on the involvement of lysine-specific demethylase 1A in hematopoietic stem cell expansion, examine the role of platelet receptor PAR4 in venous thromboembolism; and finally, investigate the relative contributions of maternal versus fetal hepcidin in embryonic iron endowment in both healthy and inflammatory states.

In this week’s episode, we will review a study that uncovers a role for CLCX4 in inducing the two hallmark features of primary myelofibrosis, bone marrow fibrosis and inflammation. We will next examine how genetic predisposition and altered gut microbiome can trigger the development of Precursor B-ALL in mice, and finally, learn how SARS-CoV2 spike proteins activate complement by engaging the alternative pathway, a novel finding which raises the prospect for targeted therapy of COVID-19-associated micro-angiopathy.

In this week’s episode, we will learn more about the immune defects and granule dysfunction in the leukocytes of patients with the rare recessive platelet disorder, gray platelet syndrome, review a study that examines the cost effectiveness of first-line versus third-line ibrutinib in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia, and review a manuscript that proposes a diagnostic classifier to facilitate the diagnosis of childhood autoimmune lymphoproliferative syndrome.

In this week’s episode, we will review a study that utilized whole-genome sequencing to define the mutational spectrum and clonal architecture of myelodysplastic/ myeloproliferative neoplasms, learn more about the association between plasma levels of growth differentiation factor 15 and the risk of venous thromboembolism, and examine the role of microenvironment myeloid cells in supporting the growth of T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

In this week’s episode, we will learn about two molecular brakes that regulate platelet activation and production, review a study showing that giving BCR-ABL1 tyrosine kinase inhibitors after allogeneic stem cell transplantation for Philadelphia-positive ALL prevents relapse, and lastly, see how investigators deciphered the role of a micro-RNA that increases platelet formation by reducing the expression of the actin-bundling protein, L-plastin, in megakaryocytes.

David Steensma, a physician at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, dives deep into the nuances of clonal hematopoiesis. He discusses how genetic mutations in stem cells can drive clonal dominance and the clinical implications for patient care. Key insights include the establishment of specialized clinics to manage these conditions and the importance of advanced sequencing technologies in cancer prevention. The conversation highlights how understanding these mechanisms can improve outcomes and foster better communication with patients.

In this week’s episode, we will learn more about the pre-clinical and clinical development of optimized, bivalent, tandem CD20 and CD19 chimeric antigen receptor T cells for treatment of relapsed/refractory non-Hodgkin lymphoma, examine a study that reveals the first stage in the clearance of senescent red blood cells by the spleen, and review a manuscript that describes the first transgenic mouse model fully reproducing specific renal lesions and kidney dysfunction observed in human light chain deposition disease.