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• Invited talk highlights link between patients’ physical function, CAR T outcomes
• Holtan to be honored for contributions to combating graft-vs.-host disease
• Other studies: Prospect for CAR T in breast cancer, ways to improve outcomes

BUFFALO, N.Y. — Discoveries made by experts from Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center will be featured at an international conference focusing on the latest advances in stem cell transplantation and other cell therapies for blood cancers. The 2025 Tandem Transplantation & Cellular Therapy Meetings of the American Society for Transplantation and Cellular Therapy (ASTCT) and Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research (CIBMTR) will be held Feb. 12-15 at the Hawai’i Convention Center in Honolulu, Hawaii. The annual meetings promote the exchange of information with the aim of extending patient survival and improving quality of life.

Oral abstract session highlights Roswell Park-developed scoring model

, Associate Professor of Oncology in the Department of Medicine, Transplant & Cellular Therapy section, led a research team that developed a scoring system to identify patients at risk of adverse outcomes following . She and her colleagues found that patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma who had poor physical function prior to undergoing CAR T-cell therapy had an increased one-year mortality risk and a greater risk of developing a serious side effect called Immune Effector Cell-Associated Neurotoxicity Syndrome (ICANS).

“We developed a scoring system to predict which patients are most likely to develop serious side effects or adverse outcomes after receiving CAR T-cell therapy,” says Dr. Herr, who will highlight the findings in an invited talk on Feb. 14. “We think this richer insight into a patient’s functioning and prognosis might point the way to strategies for supporting our patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma, with the goal of improving outcomes following CAR T-cell therapy.”

The work is outlined in , “Physical Function Measures Identify Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma Patients at High Risk of Immune Effector Cell-Associated Neurotoxicity Syndrome (ICANS) and 1-Year Mortality After Chimeric Antigen Receptor T (CAR T) Cell Therapy.” Dr. Herr is senior/presenting author of the research, to be presented Friday, Feb. 14, 4-4:15 p.m. HST in Ballroom A. Nisha Nair, MPH, Senior Research Specialist with Roswell Park’s Transplant & Cellular Therapy program, is first author of the study.

Dr. Holtan to receive 2025 Lukas D. Wartman Award

, Professor of Medicine and Chief of Blood & Marrow Transplantation, will be honored during the conference with the 2025 Lukas D. Wartman Award, given in recognition of her groundbreaking work on the prevention and treatment of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), a serious and sometimes life-threatening complication of blood stem cell or bone marrow transplant. The award recognizes a medical professional who has shown persistent dedication to improving outcomes for GVHD patients, served as their advocate, embraced new ideas to improve GVHD outcomes and advanced the science behind treating GVHD.

Dr. Holtan will take part in a Meet-the-Professor session where she will discuss how to leverage social media as a professional platform for networking, education, mentorship, advocacy, dissemination of scientific work and career advancement. That session, , “How #Some (Social Media) Can Be an Asset for Hematologists and Oncologists,” will be held Friday, Feb. 14, 12:15-1:15 HST, in Room 309.

Dr. Betts chairs session of Immunobiology Working Committee

, Professor of Oncology and Vice Chair of Strategic Initiatives in Transplant & Cellular Therapy, will chair a session of the CIBMTR Working Committee on Immunobiology. The committee provides oversight for studies related to histocompatibility and other genetic and immunologic issues related to hematopoietic cell transplantation. The session will be held Saturday, Feb. 15, 1-3 p.m. HST in Room 318 AB.

Additional research highlights

Several Roswell Park teams will present new findings and insights in a poster abstract session Thursday, Feb. 13, 6:45-7:45 p.m. HST in Exhibit Hall 3. Those featured research projects:

• , Senior Vice President and Associate Director for Translational Research and Rustum Family Endowed Chair in Translational Research, is first author and Betts is senior author on , “CD83 Expression by Human Breast Cancer Mediates Effective Killing by CAR T.”
• , Professor of Oncology in the Department of Cancer Prevention and Control, is first author of , “Incidence of Transplant-Associated Thrombotic Microangiopathy (TA-TMA) Is Not Lowered By Reduction of Acute GvHD (aGvHD) in Patients Receiving Post-Transplant Cyclophosphamide (PTCy) GvHD Prophylaxis: A report from the MIDAS (Microangiopathy, Endothelial Damage in Adults undergoing Stem cell transplantation) Consortium.”
• Hahn is senior author of , “Pre-HCT Creatinine and Early Post-HCT Changes in Creatinine and Blood Pressure Associate with Severe Transplant-Associated Thrombotic Microangiopathy (TA-TMA): A Report from the MIDAS (Microangiopathy, Endothelial Damage in Adults undergoing Stem cell transplantation) Consortium.”
• , Assistant Professor of Oncology, Departments of Medicine and Cancer Genetics & Genomics, is first and presenting author on , “Clinical Outcomes of Transformed Marginal Zone Lymphoma and Richter Transformation with CAR T-Cell Therapy: A US Multicenter Real-World Analysis.”
• , Hematology/Oncology Fellow in the Department of Medicine, is presenting author of , “Dasatinib for Steroid Refractory Icans – a Single Center Experience.” Davila is senior author on the work.

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From the world’s first chemotherapy research to the PSA prostate cancer biomarker, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center generates innovations that shape how cancer is detected, treated and prevented worldwide. Driven to eliminate cancer’s grip on humanity, the Roswell Park team of 4,000 makes compassionate, patient-centered cancer care and services accessible across New York State and beyond. Founded in 1898, Roswell Park was among the first three cancer centers nationwide to become a National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center and is the only one to hold this designation in Upstate New York. To learn more about and the , visit , call 1-800-ROSWELL (1-800-767-9355) or email [email protected].