Blood Podcast

In this week’s episode, we’ll discuss the findings from a phase 3 trial of PI3Kδ inhibitor leniolisib in activated PI3Kd syndrome, learn more about the efficacy and safety of dabrafenib plus trametinib in relapsed/refractory BRAF V600E mutation-positive hairy cell leukemia, and review the findings from a study conducted in an international cohort of patients with Tγδ LGL leukemia.

In this bonus episode Associate Editor, Dr. Helen Heslop discusses Banked Allogeneic Immune Effector Cells with Blood author Dr. Jeffrey Miller.  Review Series on Banked Allogeneic Immune Effector Cells

In this week’s episode we will first review a new clinical trial evidence that for patients with sickle cell anemia in resource limited settings, both low and moderate dose hydroxyurea are effective for secondary stroke prevention. Next, a research article showing how secreted mutant calreticulin functions as a “rogue cytokine” in myeloproliferative neoplasms, acting in a paracrine manner to promote growth of nearby tumor cells. Finally, we’ll review new research on the pathobiology of adult and pediatric Burkitt lymphoma. With the help of whole-genome sequencing, investigators unraveled distinct subgroups, which may provide a new framework for epidemiology, diagnosis, and treatment of these lymphomas.

In this week’s episode we’ll discuss the benefits of early diagnosis and hematopoietic stem cell transplant in patients with hypomorphic RAG deficiency, learn more about EBV-driven lymphoid neoplasms associated with pediatric ALL maintenance therapy, and analyze the associations between clonal hematopoiesis and recurrent vascular events and death in patients with ischemic stroke. 

In this week's episode, we’ll discuss the dynamics of measurable residual disease, or MRD, over time in myeloma patients undergoing ixazomib maintenance. Serial measurements were feasible and provided more detailed risk stratification than single timepoint measurements—findings that could have implications for the use of MRD to guide treatment duration. Up next, a research article exploring the relationships between poverty, and lack of neighborhood opportunity, with outcomes of CAR T -cell therapy in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. The findings suggest opportunities for interventions to improve access for less socioeconomically advantaged children. Finally, we’ll review a report demonstrating that acquired mutations in the pro-apoptotic effector protein BAX are common in patients with AML treated with venetoclax. These and other research observations reveal BAX variants as a hurdle to the long-term success of BCL2-targeted therapy in this disease.

In this week's episode, we’ll discuss the safety and efficacy of itacitinib monotherapy in low-risk acute GVHD, learn how ERG was discovered to be a key transcriptional target in EVI1-driven AML, and define a unique subtype of myeloid neoplasms characterized by germline DDX41 mutations.

In this week’s episode, new research shows that in children with sickle cell disease, stem cell transplantation normalizes blood flow in the brain. The improvements in cerebral hemodynamics seen in this study may help explain the stroke protection seen following transplant in this high-risk patient population. Next up, a research article providing new insights on thrombocytopenia related to the GALE gene, including the identification of several previously unreported variants. The findings highlight the importance of GALE in the glycosylation of proteins that play a role in the production and function of platelets. Finally, we’ll review a brief report on NPM1-mutated AML with adverse cytogenetics in light of the updated ELN 2022 classification. In short, adverse-risk cytogenetics remain significantly associated with unfavorable prognosis under the refined definitions, supporting the recent categorization of this entity as adverse-risk.

In this bonus episode Associate Editor, Dr. Bertie Göttgens and Dr. Ravi Majeti discuss the series on Single Cell Genomics and Heme Malignancies-Leukemia/MPNs.   Blood Review Series on Single-Cell Genomics

In this week’s episode we’ll discuss the benefits of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in older and medically infirm patients with AML, learn more about the efficacy and safety of cilta-cel in patients with progressive multiple myeloma after exposure to other BCMA-targeting agents, and review the role of anti-CD20 therapy in relapsed immune-mediated thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura.

In this week’s episode, we’ll discuss new research revealing that the mechanosensory ion channel Piezo1 is the elusive carrier molecule of the Er blood group antigens, thus establishing a new blood group system. Next, we review results of a randomized phase 3 trial of enasidenib versus conventional treatment in late-stage mutant-IDH2 relapsed or refractory AML. Although the primary endpoint of overall survival was not met, investigators say the risk benefit ratio remains positive. Finally, we’ll review a study showing a clinically significant risk of breakthrough COVID-19 infections in patients with B-cell malignancies despite vaccination and pre-exposure prophylaxis with tixagevimab-cilgavimab during the Omicron era. However, hospitalization rates in the study were low and no deaths were reported.