Highlights
During 2025, the SWG on MDS consolidated its structure and priorities by establishing four working areas: education, clinical activities, collaboration and research, and knowledge dissemination, supported by broader international membership and early career involvement.
Key activities included planning educational initiatives in diagnostics, morphology, flow cytometry, and AI, advancing harmonized clinical datasets and real-world data projects, and strengthening collaborative translational research in areas such as immune profiling, TP53, and integration of clinical and molecular data.
A major highlight was the i4MDS Annual Meeting in The Hague, which showcased progress in immune profiling panels, the central database, immune-based classification, sample standardisation, AI applications, and immune monitoring in stem cell transplantation.
Over the next year, the SWG will focus on delivering targeted educational activities, advancing collaborative projects, and strengthening dissemination through the website, webinars, and patient-friendly resources. No special announcements or obituaries to report.
Quote from MDS SWG chair, Prof Shahram Kordasti
“Our priority is to build a collaborative and practical SWG that advances education, harmonised research, and clinically relevant innovation in MDS across Europe and beyond.”
SWG Session at the EHA Congress 2025
Session title: Immune modulation in MDS
Chair: Lionel Ades (France)
Speakers:
- Anne Sophie Kubasch (Germany) – Immune modulation in lower risk MDS
- Valeria Santini (Italy) – Immunosuppressive therapy in MDS: a viable option?
- Amer Zeidan (United States) – Immune checkpoint inhibition in MDS: Current state and future directions
i4MDS annual meeting in the Hague (2025)
The i4MDS Annual Meeting, held in The Hague on 7 to 8 February 2025, brought together consortium members and invited experts for two days of scientific discussion and strategic planning.
The meeting highlighted progress in harmonising immune monitoring in MDS, with updates on multiple immune profiling panels, central database development, and centre-specific activities across the consortium.
The programme also covered key scientific themes including the immune microenvironment in MDS, immune-based classification and risk assessment, checkpoint inhibition, sample and biobanking standardisation, artificial intelligence applications, and immune monitoring in stem cell transplantation.
The meeting concluded with discussions on governance, future plans, and next steps for the consortium.