2011 ASH Annual Meeting to Highlight Latest Hematology Research, Clinical Care Breakthroughs

WASHINGTON, Dec. 1, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The American Society of Hematology (ASH) will host more than 20,000 attendees from around the globe at its 53rd annual meeting December 10-13 at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, CA. The ASH annual meeting, the premier medical meeting for physicians and researchers in the field, will showcase the latest research and clinical advances in hematology.

"2011 has proven to be an inspiring and rewarding year for hematology, filled with new discoveries that are bringing us one step closer to conquering blood diseases," said ASH President J. Evan Sadler, M.D., Ph.D., of the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. "I hope that these scientific presentations, coupled with the diverse offering of educational and professional development opportunities at the Society's 53rd Annual Meeting, will leave attendees inspired to use their new knowledge to further advance the field in 2012."

Data from more than 4,200 scientific abstracts – representing more than 1,000 oral and 3,000 poster presentations – will reveal the latest research in the field during the meeting. These include six of the top-scoring abstracts to be highlighted during the Plenary Scientific Session and six Late-Breaking Abstracts representing studies with novel data of high impact.

Exciting new offerings for the 2011 ASH Annual Meeting include a Special Symposium on quality of care, "Quality Indicators: Examples and Relevance to Hematology," which will focus on clinical areas of hematology for which quality indicators have been developed and are available. This new symposium will examine how such quality measures are derived and measured, and the importance of adhering to these standards.

The 2011 meeting also marks the debut of the ASH annual meeting mobile application for iPhone, Android, and Blackberry smartphones, as well as iPad and Android tablet devices. This exclusive app, available now in iTunes and the Android Market, and coming soon to Blackberry AppWorld, will feature full text of all annual meeting abstracts, articles from Hematology 2011 (The Education Program Book), maps, exhibitor listings, and other general meeting information.

Other 2011 ASH Annual Meeting highlights include special symposia, the Education Program, the Scientific Program, and a host of lectures and seminars. The Education Program will offer nearly 30 sessions on important areas of clinical progress, including advances in genomic studies of hematologic malignancies and new management strategies for bone failure syndromes, as well as two sessions held jointly with the American Association of Blood Banks (AABB) on transfusion medicine. The Scientific Program will feature 17 sessions on the hottest areas of hematology research, including discussions of metabolic and DNA methylation changes in leukemia and innovative strategies to enhance regenerative potential of hematopoietic stem cells.

Several renowned hematologists will present this year's Special Lectures. Peter Carmeliet, M.D., Ph.D., will examine the fundamentals and medical relevance of angiogenesis during the 2011 Ham-Wasserman Lecture, "Angiogenesis in Health and Disease," on Saturday, December 10. On Monday, December 12, George Q. Daley, M.D., Ph.D., will present the E. Donnall Thomas Lecture, "Hematopoietic, Embryonic, and Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells: Diseases, Myths, and Medicines," which will explore the possibilities and obstacles surrounding the use of genetically modified human embryonic stem cells and personalized induced pluripotent cells derived from patients by somatic cell reprogramming. Also on Monday, December 12, Ernest Beutler Lecture and Prize recipients Janet D. Rowley, M.D., and Brian J. Druker, M.D., will highlight their achievements in chronic myeloid leukemia research and treatment during their lecture, "Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML): A Success Story from Chromosomes to Effective Therapy." The Presidential Symposium on Tuesday, December 13, will focus on recent advances in understanding bone marrow failure syndromes, featuring Monica Bessler, M.D., Ph.D., Benjamin Ebert, M.D., DPhil, and Alan D'Andrea, M.D.

The Society will honor several hematologists with individual awards for their achievements during the 2011 meeting. On Sunday, December 11, ASH will honor David Nathan, M.D., with the Society's highest award, the Wallace H. Coulter Award for Lifetime Achievement in Hematology, for his important discoveries in thalassemia and other blood disorders, his tireless promotion of translational research, and his dedication to training several generations of leaders in the field. ASH will also recognize Nancy C. Andrews, M.D., Ph.D., and Malcolm K. Brenner, M.D., Ph.D., with Mentor Awards on Sunday for their sustained commitment to the training and career development of junior hematologists. On Tuesday, December 13, ASH will present Christoph Klein, M.D., Ph.D., with the Dameshek Prize for his outstanding accomplishments, which have had a large impact on the understanding of human blood and the immune system. Also on Tuesday, Ching-Hon Pui, M.D., will receive the Henry M. Stratton Medal for his many significant contributions to childhood leukemia research.

For the complete annual meeting program and abstracts, visit http://www.hematology.org/2011abstracts. Up-to-the-minute meeting information can also be found at ASH's Twitter feed, or by following the annual meeting conversation at #ASH11.

The American Society of Hematology (www.hematology.org) is the world's largest professional society concerned with the causes and treatment of blood disorders. Its mission is to further the understanding, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disorders affecting blood, bone marrow, and the immunologic, hemostatic, and vascular systems by promoting research, clinical care, education, training, and advocacy in hematology. The official journal of ASH is Blood (www.bloodjournal.org), the most cited peer-reviewed publication in the field, which is available weekly in print and online.

SOURCE American Society of Hematology