ASH Directions
ASH Launches New
Sickle Cell Disease
Clinical Trials Network
ASH has announced the launch of a clinical trials network in sickle cell disease (SCD)
to help accelerate the development of new treatments for this long-neglected and life-
threatening disorder. To reduce barriers preventing the successful conduct of clinical
trials in SCD, it will match clinical trial sponsors with research sites, facilitate patient
recruitment, advise on optimal trial design, and ensure a coordinated approach at sites
across the network.
In September, ASH joined with 24 partner organizations to publish a report card on
the state of SCD in 2018, the latest follow-up on a 2016 call to action to change the status
quo on SCD. The results of the State of Sickle Cell Disease: 2018 Report Card indicate
that progress has been made in improving care for patients with SCD, including the
expansion of nationwide training programs for providers and the passage of legislation
enhancing patient access to quality care. However, the development of new therapies
remains an unmet need.
The network will also work to encourage strong relationships between the SCD
community and research sites to foster patient engagement and participation. Individu-
als living with the disease will serve on the clinical trials network’s committees, and
patients’ involvement will be integral in efforts to improve trial design, enrollment, and
execution.
Please visit hematology.org/SCD to learn more about ASH’s SCD activities.
Nancy Berliner Named Next
Editor-in-Chief of Blood
The American Society of Hematology (ASH) has selected
Nancy Berliner, MD, as the next Editor-in-Chief of its journal
Blood. Her five-year term will begin in January 2020.
Over the past six years, Dr. Berliner has served as deputy
editor of Blood, working alongside current Editor-in-Chief Bob Löwenberg, MD, PhD.
Under the leadership of Drs. Löwenberg and Berliner, the journal has introduced several
new editorial features, increased its impact factor to 15.132, and solidified its position
as the most-cited journal in hematology. Dr. Berliner hopes to build on these successes,
emphasizing her desire to increase the geographic diversity of the editorial board and
create dynamic content for online features.
“I thank both Drs. Löwenberg and Berliner for bringing the journal to new heights
during the last six years,” said ASH President Alexis A. Thompson, MD, MPH. “I look
forward to Dr. Berliner continuing Blood’s tradition of excellence as she executes her
vision as Editor-in-Chief.”
Dr. Berliner received her medical degree from Yale University School of Medicine
and completed her residency and fellowship in hematology at Brigham and Women’s
Hospital, where she was the first woman to serve as medical chief resident. She has led
the hospital’s hematology division since 2007 and serves as the Franklin Bunn Professor
of Medicine at Harvard Medical School.
“The editorial team of Blood applies the highest possible standards to ensure all
papers are definitive, novel, and important to the field,” said Dr. Berliner. “As editor-in-
chief, I will continue to uphold the quality of our journal so that authors remain eager to
submit their best work.”
To read the latest from Blood, please visit bloodjournal.org.
18
ASH Clinical News
ASH Run/Walk participants off to the races!
Register for the ASH Foundation
Run/Walk in San Diego!
Join fellow ASH annual meeting attendees for an event that’s sure to get
your blood pumping! Participate individually or as a team in the ASH
Foundation Run/Walk on Sunday, December 2, during the 60th ASH
Annual Meeting & Exposition in San Diego. The course will start and
finish at the Embarcadero Marina Park South, allowing participants to
enjoy San Diego’s beautiful waterfront before attending Sunday sessions.
Proceeds from all registration fees and individual donations will benefit
the ASH Sickle Cell Disease Initiative Fund.
Please visit hematology.org/runwalk to learn more. Space is limited to
the first 1,300 registrants, so register now!
ASH Multiple Myeloma Research Registry
Highlighted at Biden Cancer Summit
Ahead of the Biden Cancer Summit in September, ASH and the
Biden Cancer Initiative provided an update on their shared com-
mitment to doubling the rate of progress against cancer. As a part of
its research registry project, ASH has committed to incorporating
multiple myeloma data from at least two partners by December and
plans to invest nearly $20 million in the project over the first five
years. Data set acquisition from additional partners is expected to
continue through 2019.
Inspired by the National Cancer Moonshot Initiative, launched by
Vice President Joe Biden to increase the number of cancer studies and
their global impact, ASH initiated a research registry in 2017 to harness
big data to conquer blood diseases worldwide. The registry is intended to
accelerate the pace of research, increase the number of new projects, and
decrease the time and cost required for research. With pilot programs in
multiple myeloma and sickle cell disease, the registry will expand over
time to address the broader landscape of hematologic diseases.
Visit hematology.org/registry to learn more about the ASH research registry.
Blood Online Latin America Goes Live
With the launch this fall of Blood Online Latin America, the most cited
peer-reviewed publication in hematology will extend its global reach
even further, allowing Spanish and Portuguese speakers to easily access
Blood content. To provide better service to hematologists from the
region, a team of Latin American editors will select content from Blood
to be featured and provide original commentary in both languages.
Register to access this content for free at bloodonline.com/la. ●
November 2018