In this episode of the VJHemOnc podcast you will hear from Akshay Sharma, MBBS, MSc, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, who takes a deep dive into gene therapy for the treatment of sickle cell disease (SCD). Dr Sharma begins by discussing the status of gene therapy in SCD, outlining considerations for clinicians when selecting patients for these therapies, and commenting on the risk of infection. He then touches on the role of palliative care in patients with SCD undergoing gene therapy or transplantation, and provides his view on the benefits and challenges of gene therapy in this non-malignant hematological disorder. Finally, you will hear Dr Sharma’s valuable insight into the risk of leukemia after lentiviral gene therapy.

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Today’s VJHemOnc podcast features discussions from the 7th International Workshop on CAR-T and bispecifics (iwCAR-T) 2025, which was held recently in Miami, FL. First you will hear from Elizabeth Budde, MD, PhD, City of Hope, Duarte, CA, Mohammad Rashidian, PhD, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, Michael Jain, MD, PhD, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute, Tampa, FL, and Marco Ruella, MD, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, who explore outcomes of treatment with CAR T-cells and potential strategies to enhance their efficacy and minimize toxicities.

Michael Hudecek, MD, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany, then provides insight into his keynote talk on accelerating CAR T-cell therapeutics with small molecules and CRISPR 2.0 gene editing. This is followed by Krish Patel, MD, Sarah Cannon Research Institute, Nashville, TN, Tara Graff, DO, MS, Mission Cancer and Blood, Des Moines, IA, and Caron Jacobson, MD, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, who share their perspectives on how to improve access and delivery of T-cell engaging therapies in the community.

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This episode features leading experts Paolo Ghia, MD, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy, and Arnon Kater, MD, PhD, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands, who provide key insights into the management of relapsed/refractory (R/R) chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), guided by the latest ESMO clinical practice recommendations. They explore treatment strategies at first relapse and for double-refractory patients, including fixed-duration combinations and the emerging role of the non-covalent BTK inhibitor, pirtobrutinib. Additionally, the experts share their perspectives on the role of allogeneic stem cell transplantation and CAR T-cell therapy, and offer a glimpse into promising therapies on the horizon, such as BTK degraders and bispecific antibodies.

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VJHemOnc was delighted to be media partners for the 18th International Workshop on Multiple Myeloma (iwMyeloma), held in Miami, FL. This podcast episode features highlights from the meeting.

First, you will hear from Rafael Fonseca, MD, Mayo Clinic, Phoenix, AZ, Ola Landgren, MD, Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Miami, Miami, FL, Thomas Martin, MD, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, and Adriana Rossi, MD, Mount Sinai, New York City, NY, who share updates with the use of several agents in multiple myeloma. Damian Green, MD, Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Miami, Miami, FL, and Rachid Baz, MD, Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL, will then discuss practical considerations when using T-cell therapies, including managing adverse events and improving access.

The post Highlights from iwMyeloma 2025: trial updates and practical considerations appeared first on VJHemOnc.

In this VJHemOnc podcast, experts Barbara Eichhorst, MD, University Hospital Cologne, Cologne, Germany, Lydia Scarfò, MD, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University and IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy, and Anna Schuh, MD, PhD, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK, provide insights into the latest updates to the ESMO clinical practice guidelines for chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). They cover key topics such as diagnostic advancements, frontline treatment strategies based on IGHV mutational status, the role of double oral combinations, the importance of measurable residual disease (MRD)-guided treatment, and the debate between time-limited and continuous regimens.

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In this week’s VJHemOnc podcast, we’ll be sharing highlights from the 51st Annual Meeting of the EBMT, with a focus on the prevention and management of graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) and infections associated with stem cell transplantation (SCT). You will also hear about the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) in hematology and transplantation.

Tune in as experts Mohamad Mohty, MD, PhD, Saint-Antoine Hospital, Paris, France, and Arnon Nagler, MD, Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Tel-Aviv, Israel, provide insights into current treatment approaches for acute and chronic GvHD, discussing the advent of new therapies. Following this, you’ll hear about cytomegalovirus (CMV) management from Per Ljungman, MD, PhD, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden, and human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6) diagnosis from Eleftheria Kampouri, MD, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland, and Raffaella Greco, MD, PhD, San Raffaele Hospital, Milan, Italy.

Finally, Manuela Spadea, MD, University of Turin, Turin, Italy, comments on ushering in the era of the hematologist-AI alliance, and Adrián Mosquera-Orgueira, MD, PhD, Santiago Clinic Hospital CHUS, Santiago, Spain, highlights the potential for harnessing machine learning to predict post-SCT outcomes in patients with myelofibrosis (MF).

The post Highlights from EBMT 2025: preventing and managing GvHD, harnessing AI in transplant, & more appeared first on VJHemOnc.

This podcast episode features experts Paolo Strati, MD, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, Gloria Iacoboni, MD, PhD, Vall d’Hebron Institute of Oncology, Barcelona, Spain, and Manali Kamdar, MD, University of Colorado Cancer Center, Denver, CO, who discuss the sequencing of therapies in relapsed/refractory (R/R) non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). They focus on the sequencing of CAR T-cells and bispecific antibodies in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), the use of BTK inhibitors (BTKis) in mantle cell lymphoma (MCL), and advances in the treatment of follicular lymphoma.

The post Sequencing therapies in R/R NHL: immunotherapy in DLBCL, BTKis in MCL, & more! appeared first on VJHemOnc.

CAR T-cell therapy has revolutionized the lymphoma treatment landscape in recent years. In this episode, we delve into cutting-edge CAR strategies being investigated for lymphoma, including allogeneic products, trispecific CARs, and more. Key highlights include insights into CTX112, a next-generation allogeneic CRISPR-Cas9 engineered CD19 CAR T-cell product. This episode also covers studies of trispecific CAR T-cells targeting CD19, CD20, and CD22.

Stay tuned to learn more about these promising approaches from experts Chan Cheah, MBBS, FRACP, FRCPA, DMSc, Linear Clinical Research and Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, Perth, Australia, Armin Ghobadi, MD, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, Evandro Bezerra, MD, The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, Columbus, OH, Nirav Shah, MD, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, Manali Kamdar, MD, University of Colorado Cancer Center, Denver, CO, and Valentín Ortiz-Maldonado, MD, Hospital Clinic Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.

The post Novel CAR strategies being explored in lymphoma: allogeneic products, trispecific CARs & new manufacturing platforms appeared first on VJHemOnc.

Newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is traditionally treated with intensive chemotherapy for eligible patients, but ongoing research is exploring the addition of targeted agents. This podcast focuses on approaches being explored to optimize induction therapy in AML, featuring experts Tapan Kadia, MD, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, Curtis Lachowiez, MD, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, Ioannis Mantzaris, MD, Montefiore Medical Center/Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York City, NY, Selina Luger, MD, FRCPC, University of Pennsylvania Abramson Cancer Center, Philadelphia, PA, Harry Erba, MD, PhD, Duke University, Durham, NC, Fabio Guolo, MD, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy, and David Sallman, MD, Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL.

The experts discuss key trials in this space, including venetoclax combined with intensive induction chemotherapy, a Phase II study comparing midostaurin with gilteritinib in FLT3-mutated AML (NCT03836209), and the combination of ziftomenib with intensive chemotherapy. They also examine the role of CPX-351 in induction therapy and its potential combination with gemtuzumab ozogamicin.

The post Approaches to optimizing induction therapy in AML: FLT3 inhibitors, menin inhibitors, CPX-351, & more! appeared first on VJHemOnc.

BTK inhibitors have transformed the treatment landscape in both frontline and relapsed/refractory (R/R) mantle cell lymphoma (MCL), offering a targeted therapy option for patients.

In this podcast, you will hear from Krish Patel, MD, Sarah Cannon Cancer Institute, Nashville, TN, Yucai Wang, MD, PhD, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, Julie Vose, MD, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, Adrian Minson, MBBS, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and Royal Melbourne Hospital, Melbourne, Australia, and David Lewis, MD, Plymouth University, Plymouth, UK. The experts cover a variety of topics, exploring the role of BTK inhibitors in R/R MCL, promising combinations being explored, and strategies to overcome resistance.

The post Treating R/R mantle cell lymphoma: the role of BTK inhibitors, combination approaches being explored & overcoming resistance appeared first on VJHemOnc.