Amsterdam, June 15, 2012. At the 17th Congress of the European Hematology Association in Amsterdam Professor Max Topp of the University of Wuerzberg in Germany presents the impressive results with a bispecific antibody for Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia patients.

Amsterdam, June 15, 2012. Dr Micheal Hedenus of the Haematology Unit of the Sundsval Hospital in Sweden will present promising results on a study on a single iron dose for fatigue treatment in iron deficient women at the 17th Congress of the European Hematology Association in Amsterdam.

Amsterdam, June 15, 2012. Dr Alan Ramsay will present findings of a study in patients with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia that will contribute to the design of immunotherapeutic strategies leading to the killing of cancer cells at the 17th Congress of the European Hematology Association in Amsterdam.

Amsterdam, June 15, 2012. “Hodgkin lymphoma has become one of the most curable malignancies in adults,” was stated by Dr Andreas Engert, Professor of Hematology at the University Hospital of Cologne in Germany. Results of the German Hodgkin Study Group (GHSG) HD 15 trial are presented at the 17th Congress of the European Hematology Association in Amsterdam.

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has launched a new Call for Expressions of Interest for Drug Safety Studies with a view to drawing up a list of potential contractors who may be invited to reply to specific invitations to tender in the future.

An article in the New England Journal of Medicine in January entitled ‘Selling Bone Marrow-Flynn v. Holder by Glen Cohen¹ reports on a disturbing development in the USA. Cohen reviews a recent judgment by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit which held that a ban on selling ‘bone marrow,’ that is part of the National Organ Transplant Act (NOTA) of 1984,² does not encompass ‘peripheral blood stem cells’. The judgment, according to Cohen, is based on the statutory interpretation of NOTA, not on the plaintiff’s more radical claim that the prohibition on selling bone marrow violates the Equal Protection Clause of the U.S. Constitution.

In their Reflection paper on risk based management in clinical trials the European Medicines Agency (EMA) is aiming to describe the concept of risk based quality management in the setting of clinical research.

EHA and the European Cancer Patient Coalition co-hosted a meeting at the European Parliament in Brussels on August 30-31, 2011.

On November 30, 2011, the European Commission presented its proposal for Horizon 2020, the financial instrument for research and innovation funding  from 2014-2020. The €80 billion Horizon 2020 will replace the current (€51 billion) Framework Programme 7 (FP7).

A very successful 5^th 'Focus in Pediatric Haematology-Oncology' course was held from October 23-26 in Sorrento in a small, friendly hotel with excellent facilities on the edge of the beautiful southern end of the Bay of Naples.

The current revision of two European Directives that are crucial to successful research into blood-related diseases must ensure the safety of patients and enhance their access to vitally-important treatment.

Research into blood-related diseases saves and improves the lives of millions of EU citizens each year, but lack of awareness of this fact means that too often, funding does not feed directly enough into advancing the treatment of patients.

On the 30th and 31st of August a conference will be hosted in the European Parliament that will demonstrate the leading role hematology will have in securing the future knowledge economy envisaged in the Europe 2020 Strategy.

Dr A van Hylckama Vlieg was recently awarded the very first Joint Fellowships of the European Hematology Association (EHA)-International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis (ISTH) at the16^th Congress of EHA in London, UK.

At the 16th Congress of EHA in London the EHA Jean Bernard Lifetime Achievement Award will be handed to Professor Bob Löwenberg and the EHA José Carreras Award to Professor Douglas Higgs.