Cancer

April 24, 2024

VUMC hosts symposium on stem cell transplants and cellular therapies

The Vanderbilt Stem Cell Transplant and Cellular Therapy Symposium offers clinicians detailed information on the latest developments for hematological diseases, ranging from immunotherapies for blood cancers to new, curative therapies for sickle cell disease.

The Vanderbilt Stem Cell Transplant and Cellular Therapy Symposium offers clinicians detailed information on the latest developments for hematological diseases, ranging from immunotherapies for blood cancers to new, curative therapies for sickle cell disease.

The Saturday, May 11, event from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Loews Vanderbilt Hotel will also provide an update on the use of chimeric antigen receptor T cell (CAR-T) therapies, a form of immunotherapy for blood cancers including but not limited to:

  • B cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia for pediatric and adult patients
  • Certain B cell lymphoma subtypes, including but not limited to high-grade B cell lymphoma, follicular lymphoma, and primary mediastinal large B cell lymphoma
  • Mantle cell lymphoma
  • Multiple myeloma

CAR-T therapies are being investigated for the treatment of other cancers, including some solid tumors, and autoimmune diseases. Several other topics, including advances in supportive care for stem cell transplants and cellular therapies, prevention of relapse post-transplant, and management of relapse post allogeneic stem cell transplant and CAR-T cell therapy.

Symposium participants are eligible for a maximum of 5.75 American Medical Association continuing medical education credits.

“Cellular therapies are changing and improving at a dynamic pace,” said Adetola Kassim, MD, MS, professor of Medicine and director of the Vanderbilt Stem Cell Transplant and Cellular Therapy Program at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, and director of the Adult Sickle Cell Disease Program at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. “This symposium offers health care providers and caregivers the opportunity to learn about the latest advances in the field. We will share our approach in optimizing outcomes for our patients, resulting in one of the nation’s best survival rates. In addition to medical experts from Vanderbilt, we will have highly respected guest speakers.”

The keynote guest speakers include Richard John Jones, MD, professor of Oncology and director of the Bone Marrow Transplantation Program at the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins; David L. Porter, MD, professor of Medicine and director of Cell Therapy and Transplantation at Abramson Cancer Center at Penn Medicine; and Sattva Neelapu, MD, professor of Lymphoma and Myeloma at MD Anderson Cancer Center.