The FASEB Summer Research Conference on Hematopoietic Malignancies is a highly focused and interactive meeting of physicians and scientists who are dedicated to the study of blood diseases and are committed to developing improved therapies for patients. Unlike the annual American Society of Hematology Meeting, which draws well over 15,000 participants, the FASEB meeting, is restricted to 175 attendees and thus provides a collaborative and supportive environment for trainees to meet with leaders in the field. The 2011 meeting will highlight recent advances in biology and treatment of a wide spectrum of blood cancers, including acute myeloid leukemia, acute lymphoid leukemia, myeloma, myeloproliferative neoplasms and myeloproliferative diseases. In addition, this year's meeting will include sessions on systems biology of hematopoiesis, stem cell biology, and the role of metabolic mutations in hematologic malignancies. We will hold special """"""""Meet the Expert"""""""" and """"""""Meet the Editor"""""""" sessions, where trainees can interact one on one with leaders in the field and with Dr. Helena Yang, editor of the journal Cancer Cell. The site of the 2011 meeting will once again be the Vermont Academy, a small boarding school in rural Vermont. This site is an ideal setting, because the participants have few distractions and are available to interact with students and post-docs throughout the day. The meeting will emphasize the following key areas: 1) The identification of oncometabolites and their implications for blood cancer treatment and diagnosis;2) Normal hematopoietic stem and progenitor cell development for understanding leukemia stem cell (LSC) biology;3) Mechanisms of altered transcriptional regulation in hematopoietic neoplasms, with a particular focus on changes in DNA methylation as well as histone acetylation, methylation and chromatin structure;4) Role of microRNAs in CLL pathogenesis and as cancer biomarkers;5) Lessons learned from the use of animal models;identification of LSCs and anti- LSC therapies;6) The impact of the human genome project in investigations of hematological malignancies, with an emphasis on functional genomics;7) Application of systems biology approaches to hematopoietic malignancies and LSC biology;and 8) Recent therapeutic advances based on a molecular understanding of the diseases;e.g. Notch inhibitors in T-ALL;mechanisms of Gleevec resistance and sensitivity in chronic myeloid leukemia, use of arsenic trioxide in APL and CLL, and efforts to utilize JAK inhibitors in myeloproliferative neoplasms. Support from the NIH will be used to provide registration and lodging for trainees and early stage investigators and a small subset of invited speakers.
Although there have been major breakthroughs in treating a few subtypes of hematologic malignancies, such as the use of Gleevec in chronic myeloid leukemia, the majority of blood cancers remain major causes of morbidity and mortality of both adult and pediatric patients. The FASEB Summer Research Conference on Hematopoietic Malignancies serves to bring together basic, translational, and clinical researchers for an insightful and productive exchange of latest discoveries. The meeting also fosters new collaborations and the training of graduate students, post---doctoral fellows and early stage investigators in this important research field.
