Dr. Makio Ogawa, a pioneer and trailblazer in stem cell research, passed away on February 6, 2024, at his home in New Hampshire, just after celebrating his 84th birthday with a spirited online game of Go (a game much like checkers); his wife Mary-Jane found him peacefully at rest after he did not respond to a routine lunchtime call ..read more

The myeloid neoplasms associated with germline gain-of-function SAMD9/SAMD9L mutations have been included in the WHO 2022 classification. The discovery of SAMD9/SAMD9L-related diseases has revealed some interesting pathobiological mechanisms like a high rate of primary somatic compensation with one of the mechanisms being (transient) monosomy 7 a mechanism also described as “adaption by aneuploidy”. The somatic compensation in the blood can complicate the diagnosis of SAMD9/SAMD9L-related disease when relying on hematopoietic tissues for diagnosis ..read more

Quiescence and differentiation of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPC) can be modified by systemic inflammatory cues. Such cues can not only yield short term changes in HSPCs such as in supporting emergency granulopoiesis but can also promote lasting influences on the HSPC compartment. First, inflammation can be a driver for clonal expansion, promoting clonal hematopoiesis for certain mutant clones, reducing overall clonal diversity, and reshaping the composition of the HSPC pool with significant health consequences ..read more

In multicellular organisms, the capacity of cells to commit suicide is critical to maintain homeostasis in high turnover tissues. In young adult humans, around 4 million cells are estimated to turn over every second, about 90% of which are of hematopoietic origin [1]. Based on a mathematical analysis that integrates ubiquity, mass, and lifespan of all major cell types in a human body, approximately 2×1011 red blood cells, 6×1010 neutrophils, 5×109 B cells, 2×109 T cells, and 1×1011 platelets are predicted to be generated every day, but our remarkably constant blood cell counts indicate that th ..read more

Myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) is a heterogenous group of pre-leukemic myeloid malignancies involving ineffective hematopoiesis, morphological bone marrow abnormalities, and increased risk of transformation to acute myeloid leukemia (AML) [1, 2]. At current, morphological examinations of bone marrow cells and peripheral blood counts serve as the primary diagnostic and surveillance tools for MDS patients. While classically observed cytogenetic abnormalities can be pathognomonic in establishing the clonal nature of the disease, mutational abnormalities only play a supportive role in the diagnosi ..read more

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On March 7, 2024, the Experimental Hematology community lost a legend. Editor of our journal (2017- June 2023), and a member of the International Society for Experimental Hematology (ISEH) for over 50 years, Professor Connie Eaves was thoroughly devoted to ISEH and its community of researchers. She contributed significantly to the ISEH leadership, notably as President (2002-2003) and was the highly deserving recipient of both the Donald Metcalf Award (2008) and the Outstanding Mentor award (2023 ..read more

High-throughput screening has revolutionized drug development and monumentally decreased the costs associated with testing compound libraries (1). Despite such advances, there has been little change in the success rate of commercial drug development of novel therapies (1,2). While the use of tumor cell monocultures in high-throughput drug screening has been used as the conventional platform for identifying new treatments for leukemia (3), novel cancer therapeutics displaying seemingly promising in vitro efficacy from such drug screening platforms often fail to translate their expected advantag ..read more

Essential thrombocythemia (ET) is a chronic myeloproliferative neoplasm that is characterized by sustained proliferation of megakaryocytes and thrombocytosis. An elevated platelet count results in thrombotic or hemorrhagic episodes. ET occasionally causes leukemic transformation or myelofibrosis. Somatic mutations of JAK2, MPL, and CALR are frequently observed in cases of ET. Hereditary thrombocythemia (HT) is an autosomal-dominant disorder and its clinical features resemble those of sporadic ET ..read more

A growing body of evidence points to the role of various human gut microbes in the genesis and progression of different cancers and hematological diseases including leukemia. This is carried out by both direct and indirect mechanisms [1]. For example, the bacterial species of Fusobacterium nucleatum directly binds to E-cadherin through its adhesin factor FadA (Fusobacterium adhesin A) thereby triggering the process of tumorigenesis in colorectal cancer [2]. Indirectly, the gut microbiota, with its constant provocation of the immune system, may lead into the development of cancer by creating a ..read more