Janet Rowley & John Goldman special CML Colloquium during EHA:
Presentations now available

During the 19th Congress of EHA in Milan a Special CML Colloquium titled "Classic Hallmarks and Optimizing Clinical Management"was organised by the Alpine Oncology Foundation, the European Hematology Association (EHA) and the iCMLf. This Special CML Meeting was dedicate to the late Janet Rowley and John Goldman, both passionate pioneers in CML research. "Both have been remarkable in being at the frontier in CML research and their discoveries put them into a central position within the scientific community with so many patients benefiting from their achievements", said Tim Hughes, chair of the iCMLf during his opening remarks at the meeting.

In 1973 Dr Rowley used newly developed chromosome banding techniques to show that the Philadelphia chromosome is formed by a translocation between chromosome 9 and 22. This discovery led to the identification of the fusion gene BCR-ABL and ultimately to the development of targeted inhibitors of this leukemia-specific oncoprotein. 

John Goldman was the first to demonstrate the presence of stem cells in peripheral blood of CML patients and their potential role in autografting patients with CML. He also pioneered allogeneic stem cell transplant for CML and played a leading role in the clinical development of molecular targeted therapies for CML. He confirmed the preclinical efficacy of the first tyrosine kinase inhibitor Imatinib and first used it in a clinical setting. 

In recognition of these two pioneers more than 100 attendees followed a renowed panel of experts on a journey along the milestones of the developing understanding of the molecular biology of CML over the past decades and the evolution of treatment for CML. "Thanks so many seminal discoveries in the past the survival with CML has changed dramatically over time resulting in a 10 year survival rate of 83%. This is a remarkable achievement", explained Dr Tariq Mughal, founder of the Alpine Oncology Foundation. 

There was standing room only as colloquium was opened by the president of EHA, Dr Christine Chomienne, followed by the presentations outlined below: (Scroll down to view the presentations)

Webstreams
(We are very grateful for the support of Brandcast media to produce these web streams)
Christine Chomienne	Opening remarks by the EHA President
Tim Hughes & Tariq Mughal	Introduction and tributes to Janet Rowley and John Goldman  EHA19 CML Colloquium: Welcome note (Tim Hughes).   EHA19 CML Colloquium: Welcome note (Tariq I Mughal ).
Christine Harrison	Christine Harrison: The Cytogenetic Story: Is the Philadelphia chromosome really the initiating event for CML in CP?  Dr Harrison looked back at the year 1960 when the Philadelphia chromosome was first discovered in a close collaboration between a clinical scientist and a geneticist tinkering with cytogenetic techniques in the lab. She also showcased how this seminal discovery still lights the way to the growing understanding of the molecular biology of the disease.  EHA19 CML Colloquium: The Cytogenetic Story (Christine Harrison).
Michael Deininger	Michal Deininger: The Molecular Biology Story: Unravelling the molecular biology of CML Dr Deininger looked into the molecular biology of CML as a clonal stem cell disease postulating that the CML stem cell replaces the normal stem cell population. He also explained that it was the understanding of the relations between tyrosine kinase activity and this transformation that led to the development of tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs). EHA19 CML Colloquium: The Molecular Biology Story (Michael Deininger).
Jorge Cortes	Jorge Cortes: The Imatinib Story: The beginning of a successful treatment revolution for patients with CML? Dr Cortes told the story of imatinib from back in 1998 when patients were first treated with a TKI resulting in a significant improvement in survival. He also discussed treatment management issues in frontline therapy and discussed recent data on treatment discontinuation. EHA19 CML Colloquium: Imatinib Story: The begginning of a successful treatment revolution for patients with CML? (Jorge Cortes).
Giuseppe Saglio	Guiseppe Saglio: The 2G- and 3G-TKIs Story: The challenge to improve outcomes and discontinue therapy effectively and safely Dr Saglio bridged from CML biology to clinical practice and looked at the second and third generation of TKIs showcasing 5 years overall survival data. He also discussed ways to improve treatment outcomes by achieving deeper molecular response and preventing disease progression.  EHA19 CML Colloquium: Second and third generation TKIs (Guiseppe Saglio).
Jane Apperley	Jane Apperley: The Stem Cell Transplantation Story: Optimizing efforts to select suitable patients Dr Apperley told the stem cell transplant story. She showed data on changes in allogeneic stem cell transplantation numbers over the years and outcomes for CML patients, including the now 8 year overall survival data from the IRIS-study. She also discussed state-of-the-art transpants for CML in 2014. EHA19 CML Colloquium: The Stem Cell Transplant Story (Jane Apperley).
Jerald Radich	Jerald Radich: The Monitoring Story: Evolution of the molecular tools for optimal diagnosis and monitoring Dr Radich followed the evolution of tools for diagnosis and monitoring in CML. He also discussed current challenges in the monitoring of CML such as increase in sensitivity, more automated and standardized procedures and questions like how to get the technology out to the world.  EHA19 CML Colloquium: The evolution of molecular tools for optimal diagnosis and monitoring (Jerry Radich).