Highlights from ASH: Conversations with Christopher Heery and Srdan Verstovsek

In this episode of The Onco’Zine Brief, Peter Hofland talks with two experts about their research and the impact the outcomes from these studies may have on the treatment of patients diagnosed with cancer. The interviews were recorded during the 64th annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology (ASH), held December 10 – 13, 2022 in New Orleans, Louisiana

In this episode, Hofland first talks with Christopher Heery, MD.

Dr Heery is a board-certified medical oncologist with primary expertise in the translational and clinical development of immunotherapies, including, but not limited to PD-L1 inhibitors, therapeutic cancer vaccines, immune suppressor modulator, adoptive NK cells, and other therapeutics.

As the chief medical officer at Arcellx, he is responsible for medical oversight, clinical strategy, medical affairs, and regulatory strategy for the company’s pipeline of novel – investigational drugs.

Treatment of myeloproliferative neoplasm
In the second half of the program, Hofland talks with Srdan Verstovsek, MD, PhD.

Dr Srdan Verstovsek is a Medical Oncologist and Professor in the Department of Leukemia at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

Hofland and Verstovsek talk about some of the developments in the treatment of myeloproliferative neoplasm, which are types of blood cancer that begin with an abnormal mutation or change, in a stem cell in the bone marrow.

These change leads to an overproduction of any combination of white cells, red blood cells and platelets – and results in a number of diseases, including:

• Essential Thrombocythemia (ET) Is a rare blood disease in which the bone marrow produces too many platelets;
• Myelofibrosis, a rare disorder in which abnormal blood cells and fibers build up in the bone marrow;
• Polycythemia Vera (PV) – a disease in which too many red blood cells are made in the bone marrow and, in many cases, the numbers of white blood cells and platelets are also elevated.

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