December 4, 2015 -- (NEW YORK, NY) -- Investigators at Montefiore Einstein Center for Cancer Care (MECCC) , Albert Einstein College of Medicine's NCI-designated Albert Einstein Cancer Center and The Children's Hospital at Montefiore will present their research findings at the American Society of Hematology's (ASH) 57th Annual Meeting and Exposition. Presentations include the first report on a genetic risk factor for avascular necrosis associated with treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in children along with new insights into the molecular basis for acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and a novel approach to the treatment of this disease. ASH 2015 will take place Dec. 5-8, 2015 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida.
Below are the Montefiore and Einstein oral presentations that will take place during the meeting. Researchers are available for media interviews.
1. Homozygosity for the 2R Tandem Repeat Polymorphism in the Thymidylate Synthase Promoter is Associated with Increased Risk for Bony Morbidity Among Children Treated for Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia on DFCI Protocol --Presented by Peter D. Cole, M.D. , associate professor of pediatrics, Einstein, and attending physician, Division of Hematology-Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, director, Hematologic Malignancy Service, Montefiore. Session: 612 . Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia: Clinical Studies: Special Aspects of Childhood ALL.
Sunday, December 6, 1:00pm; Level 3, W331 (Orange County Convention Center).
2. Minimal Reduction of PU.1 is Sufficient to Induce a Preleukemic State and Promote Development of Acute Myeloid Leukemia -- Presented by Britta Will, Ph.D , assistant professor of medicine (oncology) and of cell biology, Einstein. Session: 602 . Disordered Gene Expression in Hematologic Malignancy, including Disordered Epigenetic Regulation I.
3. New Allosteric Inhibitors of Mutant IDH1 in Acute Myeloid Leukemia -Presented by Ujunwa Cynthia Okoye-Okafor, M.D.-Ph.D. student in the lab of Ulrich Steidl, M.D., Ph.D. , associate professor of cell biology and of medicine (oncology), Einstein, and associate chair for translational research, Department of Hematology/Oncology, Montefiore. Session: 604 . Molecular Pharmacology and Drug Resistance in Myeloid Diseases: Acute Myeloid Leukemia: Exploiting New Therapeutic Targets and Novel Technologies.
Monday, December 7, 4:30 PM, Level 3, W307 (Orange County Convention Center).
4. Therapeutic Efficacy of Semisynthetic Supra Perfusion Resuscitation Fluids, EAF Peg Alb and EAF Peg Hb, Are Differentiated By Their Cerebral Effects in Animal Models of Sickle Cell Disease -Presented by Craig Branch, Ph.D. , director of the Gruss Magnetic Resonance Research Center, Einstein. Session: 401 . Basic Science and Clinical Practice in Blood Transfusion: Outcomes with Transfusion and Infusion Therapies Across Diverse Clinical Settings.
Monday, December 7, 5:30 PM. Level 3, W308 (Orange County Convention Center).
Montefiore and Einstein will also have three poster presentations focusing on improving outcomes for SCD.
In addition, Einstein medical student Nicholas Farris, who is mentored by Henny Billett, M.D., chief of the Division of Hematology, Department of Hematology/Oncology, Einstein and Montefiore, will receive an ASH Abstract Achievement Award for "Lack of Association of CNS Lesion Number with Cognitive Performance and Cerebral Blood Flow in Sickle Cell Disease." Weijuan Li, Ph.D., will also receive the 2014 HONORS award for her research with Amit Verma, M.B.B.S., on MDS stem cells. Dr. Will and Dr. Okoye-Okafor will also receive abstract achievement awards for their research.
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About Montefiore Health System
Montefiore Health System is a premier academic health system and the University Hospital for Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Combining nationally-recognized clinical excellence with a population health perspective that focuses on the comprehensive needs of the communities it serves, Montefiore delivers coordinated, compassionate, science-driven care where, when and how patients need it most. Montefiore consists of seven hospitals and an extended care facility with a total of 2,455 beds, a School of Nursing, and state-of-the-art primary and specialty care provided through a network of more than 150 locations across the region, including the largest school health program in the nation and a home health program. The Children's Hospital at Montefiore is consistently named in U.S. News' "America's Best Children's Hospitals." Montefiore's partnership with Einstein advances clinical and translational research to accelerate the pace at which new discoveries become the treatments and therapies that benefit patients. The health system derives its inspiration for excellence from its patients and community, and continues to be on the frontlines of developing innovative approaches to care. For more information please visit http://www.montefiorehealthsystem.org . Follow us on Twitter ; like us on Facebook ; view us on YouTube .
About Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Albert Einstein College of Medicine is one of the nation’s premier centers for research, medical education and clinical investigation. During the 2014-2015 academic year, Einstein is home to 742 M.D. students, 212 Ph.D. students, 102 students in the combined M.D./Ph.D. program , and 292 postdoctoral research fellows . The College of Medicine has more than 2,000 full-time faculty members located on the main campus and at its clinical affiliates . In 2014, Einstein received $158 million in awards from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). This includes the funding of major research centers at Einstein in aging, intellectual development disorders, diabetes, cancer, clinical and translational research, liver disease, and AIDS. Other areas where the College of Medicine is concentrating its efforts include developmental brain research, neuroscience, cardiac disease, and initiatives to reduce and eliminate ethnic and racial health disparities. Its partnership with Montefiore Medical Center , the University Hospital and academic medical center for Einstein, advances clinical and translational research to accelerate the pace at which new discoveries become the treatments and therapies that benefit patients. Through its extensive affiliation network involving Montefiore, Jacobi Medical Center —Einstein’s founding hospital, and three other hospital systems in the Bronx, Brooklyn and on Long Island, Einstein runs one of the largest residency and fellowship training programs in the medical and dental professions in the United States. For more information, please visit www.einstein.yu.edu , read our blog , follow us on Twitter , like us on Facebook , and view us on YouTube .