UF Health Cancer Institute experts presented innovative research at the American Society of Hematology 67th Annual Meeting and Exposition in Orlando covering the full spectrum of hematology, from leading-edge cellular therapies to novel diagnostic methods incorporating AI to health communications research.
The research, which received multiple achievement awards, demonstrates how interdisciplinary collaborations with clinicians, bioinformatics and translational researchers is making a direct, positive impact on those with blood cancers.
The ASH Annual Meeting and Exposition is one of the largest and most prestigious scientific conferences in the field of hematology, drawing more than 30,000 attendees each year. This year’s meeting set a new record with over 8,200 accepted abstracts.
Check out highlights below.
Jatinder Lamba, Ph.D.
The lab of Jatinder Lamba, Ph.D. co-leader of the UF Health Cancer Institute’s Cancer Targeting and Therapeutics research program, was involved in a dozen innovative abstracts, with eight of her trainees winning Abstract Achievement Awards. Her research focuses on how AI, machine learning and multiple omics can improve the prognosis and diagnosis of leukemias.
In addition to the Abstract Achievement Awards, Anna Lux’s abstract, “Long-Read Whole Genome Sequencing Improves Clinical Management in Acute Leukemia,” was highlighted by ASH in several forums, including a Poster Walk session titled, “State of Art AI in Hematology.”
Recent graduate Francisco Marchi presented an award-winning oral abstract on a transformer neural network using DNA methylation for sensitive and specific diagnosis of acute leukemia.
Read more about the AML atlas research, recently published in Nature Communications:
Dina Khalaf, M.D.
Dina Khalaf, M.D., a clinical associate professor in the UF Division of Hematology and Oncology, was involved in two collaborative abstracts with Lamba lab. One abstract described a patient-derived CRISPR platform that reveals selective dependencies in acute myeloid leukemia.
Get to know Dr. Khalaf in our recent physician spotlight.
Olga Guryanova, M.D., Ph.D.
Olga Guryanova, M.D., Ph.D., co-leader of our Translational Research Council, presented her lab’s groundbreaking work on how genetic mutations in blood-forming stem cells influence the immune system and increase the risk of cancer and diseases.
Graduate student Qingchen Yuan, MBBS, MSc, won an Abstract Achievement Award for his research on DNMT3A-driven clonal hematopoiesis and its contribution to solid tumor progression through immune suppression.
His research is also funded through a 2025 ASH ASH Graduate Hematology Award and UF Health Cancer Institute Predoctoral Award. Lean more about Yuan’s research:
Ansh Mehta, M.D.
Ansh Mehta, M.D., a clinical assistant professor in the UF Division of Hematology & Oncology on the BMT team, won an Abstract Achievement Award for his abstract, “Impact of graft versus host disease prophylaxis with post transplant cyclophosphamide on the prognostic value of HCT-CI.”
Muhammad J. Tariq, M.D.
Muhammad J. Tariq, M.D., an assistant professor in the UF Division of Hematology & Oncology, is an expert on lymphoma, CLL and CAR-T cell therapy. At ASH, he was part of three abstracts.
Get to know Dr. Muhammad in our recent physician spotlight.
Jason Butler, Ph.D.
The lab of Jason Butler, Ph.D., a professor and vice chief of research in the UF Division of Hematology and Oncology, studies how to improve the health of aging blood stem cells.
Graduate student Arianna Smith presented a study pinpointing the cellular source of a protein that decreases the function of blood stem cells as people age. The findings, presented as an oral abstract, give researchers a target for developing a new treatment to restore the health of blood stem cells and improve recovery from cancer treatments. Read the full story below.
Graduate student Bianca Bean presented another study, “Netrin-1 regulates hematopoietic stem cell function via UNC5A,” which received an ASH Abstract Achievement Award.
Carma Bylund, Ph.D.
Carma Bylund, Ph.D., a professor and associate chair of education in the UF Department of Health Outcomes & Biomedical Informatics, is leading in innovative health communications research. She presented an oral abstract on the impact of a clinical trial communication training workshop on hematology-oncology fellows’ knowledge, attitudes and behaviors. The workshop was developed with Blood Cancer United.
Jonathan Thomas, M.D., a third-year UF hematology and oncology fellow, presented an oral abstract on strengthening the referral pathway, which looked at community oncology clinician perspectives on referring to academic cancer centers. The work was funded through a Blood Cancer United Equity in Access Research Program grant that Bylund and Stephanie Staras, Ph.D., received.
Rene Opavsky, Ph.D.
UF Health Cancer Institute researchers have discovered a previously uncharacterized human gene that’s essential for the survival of aggressive T-cell lymphomas. The findings, presented by graduate student Julian Tobon from the lab of Rene Opavsky, Ph.D., open the door to developing a new drug treatment that targets the gene.
Pediatric Hematology and Oncology
The UF Health Cancer Institute pediatric hematology and oncology and BMT team is advancing leading-edge immunotherapy treatments developed by UF investigators into clinical trials to benefit patients who need the innovations the most, including those with aggressive and refractory cancers. These advancements include RNA lipid nanoparticles and novel cellular therapies specially designed by UF investigators for acute myeloid leukemias.
“As director of the UF Health Pediatric BMT and Cellular Therapy Program Director, I’m beyond grateful to work with excellent providers and bring novel cell therapies to our patients,” said Jordan Milner, M.D., a member of the UF Health Cancer Institute’s Immuno-Oncology and Microbiome research program. “Dr. Paul Castillo and his team have phenomenal immunotherapy platforms for high-grade gliomas, refractory solid tumors and upcoming in AML. Dr. Tung Wynn and his team have gene therapy for hemophilia patients and our BMT team are proudly performing gene therapy for hemoglobinopathies and graft manipulations for transplant.”
