Amsterdam, June 15, 2012. Dr Alan Ramsay will present findings of a study in patients with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia that will contribute to the design of immunotherapeutic strategies leading to the killing of cancer cells at the 17th Congress of the European Hematology Association in Amsterdam.

Amsterdam, June 15, 2012. “Hodgkin lymphoma has become one of the most curable malignancies in adults,” was stated by Dr Andreas Engert, Professor of Hematology at the University Hospital of Cologne in Germany. Results of the German Hodgkin Study Group (GHSG) HD 15 trial are presented at the 17th Congress of the European Hematology Association in Amsterdam.

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has launched a new Call for Expressions of Interest for Drug Safety Studies with a view to drawing up a list of potential contractors who may be invited to reply to specific invitations to tender in the future.

An article in the New England Journal of Medicine in January entitled ‘Selling Bone Marrow-Flynn v. Holder by Glen Cohen¹ reports on a disturbing development in the USA. Cohen reviews a recent judgment by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit which held that a ban on selling ‘bone marrow,’ that is part of the National Organ Transplant Act (NOTA) of 1984,² does not encompass ‘peripheral blood stem cells’. The judgment, according to Cohen, is based on the statutory interpretation of NOTA, not on the plaintiff’s more radical claim that the prohibition on selling bone marrow violates the Equal Protection Clause of the U.S. Constitution.

The current revision of two European Directives that are crucial to successful research into blood-related diseases must ensure the safety of patients and enhance their access to vitally-important treatment.

Dr A van Hylckama Vlieg was recently awarded the very first Joint Fellowships of the European Hematology Association (EHA)-International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis (ISTH) at the16^th Congress of EHA in London, UK.

On March 11, 2011, H-Net met in Brussels. H-Net is the European Network for Harmonisation of Training in Haematology and is funded by a Leonardo da Vinci Grant from the European Commission, DG Education and Culture. The meeting was attended by most of its partnership which includes the European Hematology Association (EHA), the European School of Haematology (ESH), 23 national societies for Haematology in Europe, and the universities of Liverpool and Uppsala.

In collaboration with the Japanese Society of Hematology (JSH) EHA organizes a Joint Symposium at the annual congress for the first time. Two lectures will be included in this special session.

The session is scheduled on Saturday June 12 from 8:30 - 10:15.