Scientific Workshops

Friday, December 5, 2025,  3:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.

Co-Chairs:

Megan Weivoda, PhD
Mayo Clinic, Division of Hematology
Rochester, MN
[email protected]

Richard Lin, MD, PhD
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center 
New York, NY 
[email protected] 

Hematologic disorders disproportionately affect older adults and often exhibit hallmarks of biological aging. Moreover, standard treatments for hematologic diseases, including chemotherapy, radiation, and stem cell transplantation, can accelerate aging, compounding disease burden and complicating recovery. Despite growing recognition of the impact of biological aging on hematological health, therapeutic strategies to target and mitigate age-related dysfunction remain underdeveloped.

This year’s workshop will focus on critically evaluating interventions that could meaningfully alter biological aging in the context of hematologic disease. In each session, speakers will advocate for a specific class of intervention, presenting basic and translational evidence to support their position. To promote engagement and debate, sessions will include pre- and post-session audience polling and interactive cross-examination by moderators and attendees. This format is designed to challenge assumptions, sharpen proposed strategies, and build consensus — or constructive dissent — around the most promising therapeutic directions.

Discussions from this workshop are likely to inform the development of a white paper that will summarize key insights and issue a call to action.   

Target Audience:

Laboratory-based scientists and clinical/translational investigators with an interest in aging and hematologic disorders — both malignant and non-malignant. 

Objectives:

• Evaluate and compare emerging strategies for mitigating hematologic aging, including lifestyle, immune-based, and pharmacologic interventions.
• Highlight innovative therapeutic approaches that target cellular and molecular drivers of hematologic aging, such as senescence and chronic inflammation.
• Foster interdisciplinary collaboration aimed at discovering, validating, and advancing strategies to slow or reverse hematologic aging. 

Friday, December 5, 2025,  3:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.

Co-Chairs:

Jane S. Hankins, MD, MS
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
Memphis, TN
[email protected]

Dunia Hatabah, MD 
Emory University School of Medicine 
Atlanta, GA 
[email protected]

Caterina Minniti, MD 
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Bronx, NY
[email protected]

Claudia R. Morris, MD 
Emory University School of Medicine; Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta
Atlanta, GA 
[email protected]

There is currently a lack of consensus on how to classify disease severity in sickle cell disease (SCD), which has hindered progress in the field. This uncertainty has greatly limited the ability to characterize the disease phenotype, affecting optimal decision-making and accurate risk prediction. Moreover, the inability to properly define disease severity has significantly impaired the design of suitable endpoints for clinical trials.

Traditionally, the severity of SCD has been primarily defined by the frequency of vaso-occlusive episodes (VOEs). This metric has served as the foundation for clinical trial eligibility and the development of all currently U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved therapies for SCD. However, VOE frequency is a narrow and inadequate measure of the overall disease burden. VOEs are inconsistently defined and do not capture the broader spectrum of complications and organ damage associated with the disease. Additionally, VOEs are difficult to quantify and susceptible to variability in clinical practice, which threatens the internal validity of studies that rely on this outcome measure. Unsurprisingly, many randomized controlled trials that showed promise in phase II studies — using VOE as the primary outcome (e.g., time to VOE resolution for acute pain studies, number of VOEs for prophylactic therapies), which the FDA prefers for orphan drug approval — failed to meet their primary endpoints in phase III studies.

A universally accepted and formalized grading system for categorizing disease severity has yet to be established. Such a system could standardize clinical assessments, guide personalized therapeutic interventions, improve predictive modeling for morbidity and mortality, and facilitate the calculation of cumulative morbidity. Moreover, a severity grading system with discrete outcomes that reflect incremental disease severity over time would more accurately represent the disease phenotype, potentially serving as a better clinical endpoint for future trials in SCD, both for acute and chronic complications, as well as preventive treatments (e.g., new disease-modifying agents).

In addition to establishing discrete and cumulative clinical endpoints informed by a standardized grading of severity, clinical trial designs for both acute (i.e., pain and acute chest syndrome) and chronic complications (i.e., anemia, end-organ damage, chronic pain) could be considerably enhanced through the use of surrogate biomarkers. Laboratory biomarkers such as fetal hemoglobin (HbF), sickling point, mitochondrial function, oxidative stress, adhesion properties, and arginine bioavailability are all promising surrogate biomarkers that could be utilized, either independently or as complementary measures to clinical endpoints.

This workshop will engage a panel of global experts in hematology: clinical trial design, implementation science, and patient-centered outcomes. The discussion will cover topics related to classifying disease severity in SCD, selecting surrogate biomarkers, and optimizing the use of such classifications and biomarkers to improve endpoint selection for future clinical trials in SCD.

Target Audience:

Hematologists, translational researchers, laboratory scientists, emergency medicine physicians, SCD researchers and trainees, regulatory agencies (e.g., FDA, clinical investigators, and SCD clinical trialists), federal funders such as the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), and SCD advocacy groups including the Sickle Cell Disease Association of America, as well as patients with SCD and their families.

Objectives:

• Discuss the existing severity scoring systems in SCD.
• Understand the utility and current availability of biomarkers in SCD in defining disease severity.
• Initiate dialogue between the FDA, ASH leadership, SCD researchers/clinical trialists, and basic scientists/biomarker experts to identify more optimal and objective endpoints to be used for future clinical trials in SCD to address both acute and chronic complications of this orphan disease.

Friday, December 5, 2025,  3:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.

Co-Chairs:

Lucy A. Godley, MD, PhD
Northwestern University
Chicago, IL
[email protected]

Marcin Wlodarski, MD, PhD
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
Memphis, TN
[email protected]

Germline variants conferring susceptibility to hematopoietic malignancies (HMs) and bone marrow failure (BMF) are now recognized to occur far more frequently than previously assumed. Current clinical guidelines strongly advocate for assessing germline predisposition in these conditions. Although identified genes have revealed novel molecular pathways crucial for hematopoiesis and tumorigenesis, the precise mechanisms underlying these disorders remain incompletely understood. 

This workshop will feature four strategic sessions: two overarching sessions exploring disease models/mechanisms and emerging discoveries across the field, and two focused sessions dedicated to DNA repair defects and ribosomopathies. 

By attending this workshop, attendees will gain comprehensive insight into this increasingly captivating topic (which is minimally covered at the annual meeting), while engaging in stimulating debate.

Target Audience:

International investigators who are actively studying HMs and BMF, trainees, and clinicians.

Objectives:

• Discuss ongoing research efforts in germline predisposition disorders.
• Address disease models and mechanisms that bridge fundamental science with clinical applications, with two focused sessions on DNA repair defects and ribosomopathies.
• Strengthen existing and develop new international collaborations in these diseases..

Friday, December 5, 2025,  3:05 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.

Organized in collaboration with the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC)

Co-Chairs:

Marina Cavazzana, MD, PhD 
Hopital Necker - Enfants Malades 
Paris, France 
[email protected]

Daniel Powell, PhD 
University of Pennsylvania  
Philadelphia, PA 
[email protected]

Marco Ruella, MD 
University of Pennsylvania  
Philadelphia, PA 
[email protected]

Overview:

This ASH-SITC joint workshop will explore how host factors — such as metabolism, diet, microbiome, genetics, aging, sex, obesity, and immune status — shape the efficacy and toxicity of cell and gene therapies across hematologic malignancies, solid tumors, and 

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" href="https://www.hematology.org/classical-hematology" target="_blank">classical hematology disorders. The sessions will examine how these factors influence treatment response, durability, and adverse effects, with a focus on chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy, bispecific antibodies, and gene therapies. Discussions will address resistance mechanisms, toxicity mitigation, and strategies to optimize patient selection and therapeutic outcomes.

 

Target Audience:

Researchers, clinicians, regulatory experts, and industry stakeholders committed to overcoming barriers in clinical cell and gene therapy development for non-malignant and malignant hematologic disease. 

Objectives:

• Discuss mechanisms by which baseline host factors influence cell manufacturing, vector entry, immune activation, and therapeutic efficacy.
• Examine strategies to mitigate immunotoxicity and genotoxicity, and screening protocols for genetic predispositions.
• Share insights into next-generation approaches that improve therapeutic efficacy.
• Explore innovative approaches to address variability in gene-modified cell performance and optimize approaches and procedures for better clinical outcome

Friday, December 5, 2025,  3:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.

Co-Chairs:

Lisa Baumann Kreuziger, MD
Versiti Blood Research Institute
Milwaukee, WI 
[email protected]

Jeffrey Zwicker, MD
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center 
New York, NY 
[email protected]

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is the second leading cause of death in patients with cancer, and cancer patients are the highest risk group for developing VTE. Despite considerable epidemiologic research, the mechanism of thrombosis in cancer is poorly understood. This workshop will provide a unique forum to discuss the mechanisms of thrombosis in hematologic malignancies, a topic that bridges malignant and non-malignant hematology within ASH.

Target Audience:

Basic scientists and researchers interested in the mechanisms of thrombosis in cancer patients and how thrombosis may influence the progression of cancer. Clinical researchers may benefit from the workshop to understand the mechanisms of disease and identify potential collaborations. Early career and senior investigators will be encouraged to facilitate mentoring opportunities. 

Objectives:

• Provide a unique forum to discuss the latest scientific developments in cancer and thrombosis. 
• Enhance current collaborations, develop new collaborations, and provide opportunities for interaction between early-career and established investigators in cancer and thrombosis.

Friday, December 5, 2025,  3:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.

Co-Chairs:

Aaron Schimmer, MD, PhD 
Princess Margaret Cancer Centre  
Toronto, Canada  
[email protected]   

Sarah Skuli, MD, PhD
University of Pennsylvania 
Philadelphia, PA 
[email protected]

Mitochondrial and metabolic pathways play an important role in the pathogenesis of blood cancers. In addition, they represent a biological vulnerability that can be targeted therapeutically in some patients. This workshop will bring together a multidisciplinary group of researchers to discuss mitochondrial pathways and metabolism in blood cancers with the goal of facilitating collaborations between investigators from diverse fields who would likely not otherwise interact. 

The workshop will feature sessions on:

• Fundamental discoveries in mitochondria and metabolism, including research in model organisms, as they relate to blood cancer and normal hematopoiesis.
• Translational research – Preclinical studies of novel mitochondrial and metabolic targets for the treatment of hematologic malignancies.
• Clinical research – Clinical trials of novel therapies targeting mitochondrial and metabolic pathways.

Target Audience:

Basic scientists, translational researchers, and clinician investigators studying mitochondrial pathways and metabolism in the lab and/or clinic. 

Objectives:

• Highlight fundamental discoveries in metabolism that shed light on clinically relevant problems in blood cancer. 
• Compare and contrast mitochondrial pathways and metabolism between normal hematopoiesis and blood cancer.
• Identify targets in metabolism whose inhibition or activation would preferentially eradicate malignant cells.

Friday, December 5, 2025,  3:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.

Co-Chairs:

Patricia Ernst, PhD
University of Colorado Denver
[email protected]

Ulrich Steidl, MD, PhD 
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
[email protected]

The workshop will cover the basic science of myeloid development or pathophysiology. While individual talks can and will have more translational components, there will be no presentations primarily focused on clinical strategies. The presentations will highlight tools and concepts from molecular and cellular biology, biochemistry, bioinformatics, animal models, and study of human samples to address key topics in myeloid biology. Talks will feature emerging data from cutting-edge research groups at all stages expected to have a broad and lasting impact on the field. 

Active discussion is encouraged, and participants are expected to present and discuss the latest unpublished advances in normal and malignant myeloid biology.

This workshop will only be available to people who attend the annual meeting in person and will not be live streamed to a virtual audience. A recording of the workshop will be available at the conclusion of the workshop on the virtual meeting platform until 11:59 p.m., Pacific time, on January 1.

Target Audience:

Laboratory-based and translational investigators, including trainees, with many interests surrounding normal and pathological myeloid/stem cell biology. 

Objectives:

• Provide a venue for early-career and established investigators to present their newest cutting-edge science to the myeloid community. 
• Offer an opportunity for informal discussion and feature late-breaking science. Provide trainees with a chance to hear new scientific concepts and to meet leaders in our field. 
• Highlight emerging new concepts in myeloid biology that have the potential to broadly impact hematology. 

Friday, December 5, 2025,  3:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.

Co-Chairs:

Pamela S. Becker, MD, PhD 
City of Hope 
Duarte, CA 
[email protected]

Jun J. Yang, PhD 
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital 
Memphis, TN 
[email protected]

Initially, personalized medicine was solely focused on genomics, and patients in large trials were treated based on individual mutations. However, success was limited, likely because of the presence of multiple mutations and innate or adaptive drug resistance. In a global effort, investigators have developed sophisticated functional assays for testing drug sensitivity, and these advances have led to predictive algorithms for patient response. Combining the data from extensive genomic and functional analysis holds great promise for expanding the reach of precision medicine for blood cancers. This approach has been particularly useful for patients with primary refractory or multiply relapsed disease, or rare conditions for which there are less data to drive treatment selection. The workshop will cover aspects of resistance to therapy in blood disorders, focusing on non-genetic molecular mechanisms such as epigenetic, epitranscriptomic, and metabolic aspects and their potential interaction with genetic alteration. Platforms allowing the comparison between diagnosis and relapsed samples, or relapse-promoting mechanisms existing at diagnosis and potential therapeutic intervention, will be discussed.

Given these rapid advances in genomic and functional precision medicine, with remarkable recent achievement of clinical predictability demonstrated in ongoing clinical trials, this workshop will address the promise and continued challenges of a fast-growing field, both technically and scientifically.

Target Audience: 

Laboratory scientists, translational researchers and clinical investigators studying drug therapy and target identification in hematologic malignancies and interested in novel approaches to personalized medicine.

Objectives:

• Educate participants on the rationale for combined genomic and functional precision medicine (especially in contrast to the genomics-centric paradigm), the methodology for drug sensitivity phenotyping for both inter- and intra-leukemia heterogeneity, and the clinical interpretation of ex vivo drug response.
• Describe computational biology and systems biology approaches used for data analysis and correlations of functional data with the results of multi-omic profiles to predict response.
• Discuss clonal evolution of cancers and how it impacts and informs drug sequencing, dosing, and resistance.
• Provide a platform for robust discussion on the value of the combination of genomic and functional precision medicine in blood cancers.

Friday, December 5, 2025,  3:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.

Co-Chairs:

Panagiotis Ntziachristos, PhD
Ghent University 
Ghent, Belgium 
[email protected]

Christina Glytsou, PhD
Rutgers University 
Piscataway, NJ 
[email protected]

Daniel Starczynowski, PhD
Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center 
Cincinnati, OH 
[email protected]

Resistance to therapy poses a significant obstacle to the successful treatment of blood disorders. Despite advances in targeted therapies, the underlying mechanisms driving therapy resistance — both preexisting and acquired — are not fully understood. This workshop will address this critical challenge by exploring the complex molecular landscape that contributes to drug resistance in hematological malignancies. This workshop will bring together leading scientists and clinicians to discuss the latest updates in both genetic and non-genetic molecular mechanisms, including epigenetic, epitranscriptomic, translational, post-translation, and metabolic aspects, as well as their potential interaction. Cellautonomous or non-cell-autonomous mechanisms, as well as the dynamic interplay between tumor cells and their microenvironment, will be explored. 

The workshop will also have a special focus on emerging model systems and machine-learning-based computational technologies that are revolutionizing our ability to monitor, predict, and reverse therapy resistance. Participants will gain a comprehensive understanding of the complexities of drug resistance and explore new avenues for therapeutic approaches. Lastly, this interdisciplinary workshop will serve as a forum for the exchange of ideas and collaboration among investigators from various fields. 

Target Audience:

Researchers and clinical investigators interested in the underlying causes of therapy resistance in blood disorders. Both early-career and experienced investigators are encouraged to participate to foster mentoring, networking, and collaboration.  

Objectives:

• Help scientists working in the field of hematology understand mechanisms of resistance to therapy.
• Integrate various mechanisms of resistance. 
• Provide a forum of open discussion and exchange of ideas that will identify future research priorities towards the development of solutions to overcome therapy relapse. 
• Promote interdisciplinary collaboration and exchange of technologies. 

Friday, December 5, 2025,  3:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.

Co-Chairs:

Piers Blombery, PhD, MBBS 
Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre  
Melbourne, VIC, Australia  
[email protected]

Torsten Haferlach, MD, PhD 
Munich Leukemia Laboratory  
Munich, Germany  
[email protected] 

Ella Thompson, PhD  
Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre   
Melbourne, VIC, Australia   
[email protected]  

Wencke Walter, PhD  
Munich Leukemia Laboratory  
Munich, Germany  
[email protected]  

Measurable residual disease (MRD) detection is rapidly becoming a central paradigm to direct the management of patients with hematological malignancy as evidenced by (i) clinical trials explicitly using MRD to direct therapeutic arms, (ii) international groups discussing the standardization and measurement of MRD, and (iii) the recognition of MRD as a surrogate endpoint. 

This workshop will focus on technological advancements, development, and delivery of MRD in the clinical diagnostic setting. 

Target Audience:

Hematologists, oncologists, hematopathologists, clinical investigators (particularly those involved in clinical trial design), computational biologists/bioinformaticians, and medical/laboratory scientists. 

Objectives:

• Present recent advancements in MRD/circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) detection platforms, including novel approaches with a focus on diagnostic and practical implementation as well as their use in clinical trials.  
• Foster collaboration between pathologists, clinicians, and laboratory scientists to advance the translational implementation of novel MRD/ctDNA diagnostics.  
• Support current standardization efforts by facilitating discussion around ongoing efforts by international consortia and regulatory bodies to standardize MRD/ctDNA measurement, reporting, and clinical thresholds.