Molecular diagnostics & therapeutics

The AML Hub are pleased to be covering the European School of Haematology (ESH) 2nd How to Diagnose and Treat: Acute Leukaemia meeting. Here, we review what was discussed at last year's meeting—ESH 5th International Conference Acute Myeloid Leukemia "Molecular and Translational": Advances in Biology and Treatment—on the topics of the changing paradigm of AML diagnosis and the evolving treatment of FLT3-mutated AML.

Lars Bullinger, Charite University Hospital Berlin, Berlin, DE, starts off by discussing the genetic and epigenetic changes that underlie the development of acute leukemias, and how these can be used to become biomarkers and be incorporated into clinical routine. Then, Peter Valk, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, NL, talks about NGS and its implementation into molecular diagnostics. Liran Shlush, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, IL, goes on to explain how molecular testing, evaluating specific parameters and biomarkers, can be used in healthy individuals to identify if they may be predisposed to a disease.

Andrew Wei, The Alfred, Victoria, AU, describes the evolution of AML and the therapy options for patients with AML. Alexander Perl, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, US, talks about the clinical use of FLT3 inhibitors and patient outcomes when treated with newly approved targeted therapies. Catherine Smith, UCSF Medical Center, San Francisco, US, concludes by explaining the clinical resistance mechanisms of FLT3 inhibitors and considerations for therapy sequence for optimal efficacy and tolerability.