Visit www.aamds.org for more information about aplastic anemia, Myelodysplastic Syndromes and paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria. In this video, recorded at the 2013 Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology (ASH), Dr. Akiko Shimamura, MD, PhD, of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and an AA&MDSIFGrantee, discusses how cutting edge genomic technologies can help identify which genetic factors might predict which patients may benefit from different treatment options. She also discusses the increasing recognition that genetic etiologies play in aplastic anemia and myelodysplastic syndromes(MDS). Previously, genetic etiologies had received much attention in treating pediatric patients, but are now understood to play an important role in a subset of adult patients who present with aplastic anemia and MDS. To explore this question, her research team is looking at young adults who have MDS and studying how they are biologically different than typical MDS patients who present with the disease at an older age. She also points out that the line between seemingly acquired and inherited bone marrow failure or MDS is becoming increasingly blurred. Researchers are finding that some patients who present with seemingly acquired aplastic anemia or sporadic MDS may in fact have a genetic basis for their disease. However, clinical clues indicating this genetic basis may be sparse or absent. Therefore, a clinically unbiased genetic screen may be useful to these patients. Grant funding from the AA&MDS International Foundation has made Dr. Shimamura's research possible. For more information on Dr. Shimamura's research supported by the AA&MDS International Foundation, please visit: [ Ссылка ]
