ASH Announces Top Trainee Abstracts of 2018 Annual Meeting

(WASHINGTON, November 5, 2018) – The American Society of Hematology (ASH) is pleased to recognize the following trainees with the highest-scoring abstracts in the categories of undergraduate student, medical student, graduate student, resident physician, and postdoctoral fellow at the 60th ASH Annual Meeting, December 1-4 in San Diego.

These represent only a fraction of Abstract Achievement Awards given by ASH to recognize meritorious science and support early-career investigators attending the ASH annual meeting to present their findings in person.

“I commend these early-career researchers on their high-quality work and contributions to hematology,” said ASH President Alexis A. Thompson, MD, MPH, of the Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago. “Presenting on a stage as large and visible as the ASH annual meeting is an important career milestone. The recipients of these awards should feel very proud of their achievement.”

The 2018 Outstanding Abstract Achievement Award recipients are:

Undergraduate Student
Jesus Garcia Garcia
University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
Abstract 367
5 Year Health Care Burden after Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation (HSCT): Impact of Graft Source

Medical Student
Rosalie Sterner
Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN
Abstract 961
GM-CSF Blockade during Chimeric Antigen Receptor T Cell Therapy Reduces Cytokine Release Syndrome and Neurotoxicity and May Enhance Their Effector Functions

Graduate Student
Camila Prieto
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY
Abstract 883
RNA Binding Protein Rbmx Is Required in Acute Myeloid Leukemia By Regulating the Transcriptional Activity of the Heterochromatin Protein HP1α

Resident Physician
Philipp Rauch, MD
Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA
Abstract 745
Loss-of-Function Mutations in Dnmt3a and Tet2 Lead to Accelerated Atherosclerosis and Convergent Macrophage Phenotypes in Mice

Post-Doctoral Fellow
Jun Chen, MD, PhD
Lund University, Lund, Sweden
Abstract 753
Small Molecule Screens Identify CDK8-Inhibitors As Candidate Diamond-Blackfan Anemia Drugs

Mary Rodes Gibson Memorial Award in Hemostasis and Thrombosis
The Mary Rodes Gibson Memorial Award in Hemostasis and Thrombosis was established to recognize the trainee (undergraduate student, medical student, graduate student, resident physician, or post-doctoral fellow) who is the first author and presenter of the highest-scoring abstract submitted to the ASH Annual Meeting in the field of hemostasis and thrombosis. This annual award honoring excellence in hemostasis and thrombosis is made possible by the Mary Rodes Gibson Hemostasis-Thrombosis Foundation to continue the legacy of Mary Rodes Gibson, who suffered from severe, type 3 von Willebrand disease.

This award will be presented during the invited speaker session of the Special Symposium on the Basic Science of Hemostasis and Thrombosis on Monday, December 3, 2018 from 4:30 PM - 6:30 PM, SDCC, Room 31B

The 2018 recipient is:

Moua Yang, PhD
Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI
Abstract 867
Platelet CD36 Promotes ERK5 and Caspase-Dependent Procoagulant Phosphatidylserine Externalization and In Vivo Fibrin Formation in Dyslipidemia

Giuseppe Bigi Memorial Award
The ASH Giuseppe Bigi Memorial Award was established in 2015 to recognize an Italian trainee (undergraduate student, medical student, graduate student, resident physician, or post-doctoral fellow) based at an Italian institution who has the highest-scoring abstract submitted in the field of hematopoiesis and stem cells. This annual award is made possible by a generous grant from the Giuseppe Bigi Association, named for the late Giuseppe Bigi, MD, a well-known Italian scientist.

The 2018 recipient is:

Valentina Salvestrini, PhD
University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
Abstract 2560
Bitter Taste Receptors System Is Expressed and Functional in Both HSCs and Leukemic Cells

ASH-International Paroxysmal Interest Group Abstract Achievement Award for Paroxysmal Nocturnal Hemoglobinuria
2018 recipients are:

Taehoon Shin, PhD
National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD
Abstract 1309
Modeling Human Paroxysmal Nocturnal Hemoglobinuria Via CRISPR/Cas9 HSPC Gene Editing in Non-Human Primate

Takeshi Yoroidaka, MD
Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan
Abstract 1308
Bystander Proliferation of Piga-Mutated Hematopoietic Progenitor Cells in Acquired Aplastic Anemia Patients Possessing HLA Class I Allele-Lacking Leukocytes

ASH-Haematology Society of Australia and New Zealand Abstract Achievement Award
2018 recipient is:

Naranie Shanmuganathan, MBBS
Royal Adelaide Hospital and SA Pathology, Brompton, SA Australia
Abstract 1731
The e13a2 BCR-ABL1 Transcript Is Associated with Higher Rates of Molecular Recurrence after Treatment-Free Remission Attempts: Retrospective Analysis of the Adelaide Cohort

ASH-Japanese Society of Hematology Abstract Achievement Award
2018 recipients are:

Tomoyasu Jo, MD
Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
Abstract 775
Mechanisms Underlying Augmented Lymphomagenesis by LUBAC; Possible Accumulation of AID-Mediated Somatic Mutations

Sousuke Nakamura, MD
University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
Abstract 247
Prognostic Impact of Circulating Tumor DNA Status Post-Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation in Acute Myeloid Leukemia and Myelodysplastic Syndrome

Yasuyuki Arai, MD, PhD
Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
Abstract 68
Prediction of Acute Graft-Versus-Host Disease Following Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation Using a Machine Learning Algorithm

ASH-Society Italiana di Ematologia Abstract Achievement Award
2018 recipients are:

Mariateresa Pettinato, MSc
IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milano, Italy
Abstract 2333
Inhibiting the Immunophilin FKBP12: A Potential Therapeutic Approach to Iron Overload/Low Hepcidin Disorders

Francesco Maura
University of Milan, Milan, Italy
Abstract 4115
Whole Genome Sequencing Reveals Recurrent Structural Driver Events in Peripheral T-Cell Lymphomas Not Otherwise Specified

Minority Graduate Student Abstract Achievement Award
Each year, ASH offers merit-based Minority Graduate Student Abstract Achievement Awards to select graduate students to honor their accomplishments and to recruit and retain minority graduate students in the field of hematology through exposure to the ASH Annual Meeting.

The 2018 Minority Graduate Student Abstract Achievement Award recipients are:

Morayo Adebiyi
MD Anderson/UTHealth GSBS, Sugarland, TX
Abstract 3644
Elevated Circadian Period 2: A Missing Beneficial Factor in Sickle Cell Disease By Lowering Pulmonary Inflammation, Iron Overload and Mortality

Dominique Bulgin
Duke University, Durham, NC
Abstract 2285
Health Related Stigma and Quality of Life in Adults with Sickle Cell Disease in Jamaica

Matthew Cannon
The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH
Abstract 1077
High-Throughput Mirna Analysis Suggests Pro-Inflammatory Profile in Sickle Cell Disease

Melissa Docampo
Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences, New York, NY
Abstract 61
Expression of the Butyrate/Niacin Receptor, GPR109a on T Cells Plays an Important Role in a Mouse Model of Graft Versus Host Disease

Renee Estephan
City of Hope, Duarte, CA
Abstract 4108
PD-L1 Expression Is Regulated By microRNAs-21 and -130 in Cutaneous T-Cell Lymphoma

Dennis Juarez
University of California, Irvine, CA
Abstract 1989
Statins Enhance the Efficacy of BH3 Mimetics in Multiple Myeloma

Shaneice Mitchell
The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH
Abstract 3931
NAMPT Inhibitor KPT-9274 Selectively Targets Self-Renewal Capacity in Acute Myeloid Leukemia

Oluwamayokun Oshinowo
Augusta University, Augusta, GA
Abstract 517
Platelet Contraction Force As a Biophysical Biomarker for Bleeding Risk in Patients with Immune Thrombocytopenia

Camila Prieto
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY
Abstract 883
RNA Binding Protein Rbmx Is Required in Acute Myeloid Leukemia By Regulating the Transcriptional Activity of the Heterochromatin Protein HP1α

Nicole Stokes
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY
Abstract 1323
Functional Analysis of MYC Deregulation By Diverse Genetic Mechanisms during Hematopoiesis

Jessica Waibl
Duke University, Durham, NC
Abstract 2567
The ETS1 Transcription Factor Is Implicated in Human and Murine Intermediate NK Cell Development Stages

A complete list of Abstract Achievement Award recipients is available at http://www.hematology.org/Awards/Award-Recipients/Abstract-Achievement/9089.aspx

The American Society of Hematology (ASH) (www.hematology.org) is the world’s largest professional society of hematologists dedicated to furthering the understanding, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disorders affecting the blood. For more than 50 years, the Society has led the development of hematology as a discipline by promoting research, patient care, education, training, and advocacy in hematology. ASH publishes Blood (www.bloodjournal.org), the most cited peer-reviewed publication in the field, which is available weekly in print and online. In 2016, ASH launched Blood Advances (www.bloodadvances.org), an online, peer-reviewed open-access journal.

Contact:
Sara Khalaf, American Society of Hematology
[email protected]; 202-552-4925