Events

The LBI HO organized an international symposium on Monocytes, Macrophages, and Mast Cells from June 30 to July 1, 2023 in Vienna.

Researchers and experts from various countries gathered to exchange knowledge and insights on the roles of monocytes, macrophages, and mast cells in different physiological and pathological conditions. The symposium featured also late breaking news on novel diagnostic methods, treatment approaches and integrating artificial intelligence in hematology and their associated diseases.

The event provided a valuable platform for international collaboration and the sharing of cutting-edge research in the field.

The Ludwig Boltzmann Institute of Hematology and Oncology celebrated its 15th anniversary jubilee on June 29 with an international  conference. On this day, we met at the beautiful Danube to not only celebrate this great day, but also to review our past projects and to plan next collaborations.

The event began with an insightful historical overview that traced the Institute’s journey and highlighted its role in advancing the field of hematology and oncology. Further presentations featured the latest developments in personalized and precision medicine for combating leukemia stem cell in myeloid neoplasms and systemic mastocytosis.

The anniversary event left the attendees inspired and invigorated by the research results presented. Thank you to all our members for making this day productive and very inspiring.

A three-day Working Conference on Eosinophil Disorders and Related Syndromes took again place in Vienna this year, ten years after the last one was held at the same venue.

With COVID-19 still being part of our day-to-day life, this year’s conference was organized as a hybrid meeting; with participants being able to join on site or via an online platform. Thanks to the experience from the previous year’s dual-mode meetings, the congress was yet again a success.

Invited by Peter Valent, specialists from all over Europe and America came together to share their newest insights, research results and developments regarding diagnosis and therapy of eosinophil disorders and related symptoms. It is the merging of ideas and findings from research teams all over the world, that allow us to progress towards understanding and fighting these illnesses.

Participation during the presentations on Friday and Saturday was free to all interested parties, while on Sunday faculty members were discussing the draft of a consensus paper on diagnosis and therapy of eosinophil disorders internally.

Thus, under the sunny Viennese sky, new connections were established, old friendships were maintained, and work relationships were strengthened.

We appreciate all participants input to this important meeting, want to thank everyone for their time and hard work and hope to see you all again well and healthy next time!

On September 20th the Working Conference on Precision Medicine in Hematology started in Vienna. The three-day meeting reunited several renowned international experts in the field of applied hematology.

The purpose of the meeting was to discuss definitions, diagnostic approaches and tools as well as new therapeutic concepts in precision medicine and personalized medicine in applied hematology. Additionally, prognostication models and individualized management of patients with rare and complex pathologies and the emerging issues of drug-drug interactions and drug side effects have been discussed.
The first two days were dedicated to an in-depth discussion of the topics mentioned above and were open to the public. Day 3 was closed and dedicated to future collaborations.
The meeting was extremely well received and led to some very fruitful scientific discussions.

On May 17, 2019 the 2^nd Comparative Oncology Mast Cell Meeting took place in Vienna at the old General Hospital campus of Vienna. The event entitled “Classification and Management of Mast Cell Neoplasm in Dogs and Humans: A Comparative Oncology Approach” focused on improvement of therapy in both humans and dogs.

The scientific organization team included experts from human and canine oncology research, namely Emir Hadzijusufovic, Michael Willmann and Peter Valent. The closed session on May 18, 2019 took place in Hotel Regina in the 9^th district of Vienna and served as a working conference with access to faculty members only. The program on day 1 opened with a session about general data on Mast Cells in Health and Disease. During the rest of the day, experts presented their data on molecular markers, grading systems and treatment strategies in MC neoplasms. In the working conference on day 2, experts from the US and Europe came together to discuss diagnosis, classification, prognostication and management of mast cell tumor in dogs and further to compare management strategies and diagnostic algorithms in the canine and human system. Moreover, the aim of the meeting was to develop consensus criteria for improving the treatment of mast cell tumors in dogs. Social Events, such as welcome reception or faculty dinners accompanied the Comparative Oncology Mast Cell Meeting.

On April 24^th 2019 the KickOff Meeting was held to welcome The Children’s Cancer Research Institute (CCRI) as the new partner in the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Hematology and Oncology (LBI HO). The year 2019 marks the 11^th year since LBI HO, previously known as Ludwig Boltzmann Cluster Oncology (LBI ONC) was established, with the general aim to improve the treatment of hematopoietic neoplasms by identification, targeting and eradication of cancer-initiating and disease-propagating cells, also known as leukemic stem cells in the context of hematologic malignancies. CCRI has been founded in 1988 with the focus on basic, translational and clinical research, as well as improvement of diagnostic and prognostic methods and immunological therapies in childhood cancers.

The new partnership between LBI HO and CCRI will provide a unique platform for further strengthening of collaboration efforts and development of joint projects. Following the welcome notes from Mag. Caludia Lingner, Head of the Ludwig Boltzmann Gesellschaft, Prof. Wolfgang Holter, Head of the CCRI, and Prof. Peter Valent, Director of LBI HO, the program opened with the presentations of the mission, project lines and perspectives for LBI HO and CCRI by Prof. Peter Valent and Prof. Thomas Lion. The meeting continued with scientific presentations held by group leaders, senior scientists and PhD students from the two research institutions, followed by fruitful discussions on future potential for collaborations and further research development. The topics included uncovering resistance mechanisms in myeloid neoplasms, age-related clonal hematopoiesis in the context of cancer, immunotherapeutic approaches for cancer treatment, cancer stem cell characterization and target discovery as well as treatment effects on clonal dynamics of complex cancers. The meeting was accompanied by a social event aimed at networking and continuation of scientific discussion.

On September 27^th 2018 the Education Workshop Mastocytosis of the European Competence Network on Mastocytosis (ECNM) and Austrian Competence Network on Mastocytosis (AUCNM) was held to discuss about the latest status of diagnosis and therapy of mastocytosis.

The ECNM is a cooperative initiative of a group of clinicians and scientists in Europe who regularly come together to improve diagnostic and therapeutic options in patients with mastocytosis.

The AUCNM, as an austrian competence-network, functions as important element and partner of the ECNM.

Mastocytosis is a disease with abnormal growing mast cells in the skin, in internal organs or both skin and internal organs. As a result, mastocytosis is a disease with extensive accumulated mast cells (too many mast cells) in a patient´s body. Both children and adults can develop mastocytosis. It is classified in cutaneous mastocytosis (CM) or systemic mastocytosis (SM). In 2001, the WHO has introduced mastocytosis as a clonal hematopoietic disease in their classification of blood cell disorders.

At the workshop in September the status of bone marrow patterns and molecular markers in mastocytosis was discussed. Furthermore, the participants focused on the treatment of patients with indolent and advanced forms of mastocytosis.

On August 24^th-26^th 2018 the meeting “Standards and Standardization in Chronic Myelomonocytic Leukemia” was held in Vienna as a result of the EU-US multicenter cooperative initiative to standardize parameters of disease and diagnostics for practice and clinical trials in patients with chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML).

The first day of the conference was open to visitors and all interested colleagues who had the opportunity to hear state-of-the-art lectures from world leading experts in CMML on numerous important topics ranging from morphology and histology, cytogenetics and molecular features, as well as application of flow cytometry, prognostic scoring and current recommendations and novel treatment approaches for patients with CMML. The second and third day marked the closed part of the working conference where scientific talks from the faculty were followed by intensive discussions aimed at reaching a consensus regarding diagnostic, prognostic and treatment procedures in CMML patients. The conclusions reached at the end of the meeting were summarized in the manuscript “Proposed diagnostic criteria for classical CMML, CMML variants and pre-CMML conditions” published in journal Haematologica in 2019 (doi: 10.3324/haematol.2019.222059).

The Ludwig Boltzmann Cluster Oncology has celebrated it’s 10^th year with a Jubilee Meeting on April 4^th, 2018.

The highlights of the day were an overview of 50 years leukemia research within the Ludwig Boltzmann Gesellschaft presented by Michael Pfeilstöcker (Hanusch Hospital) and the keynote lecture by Tsvee Lapidot (Rehovot, Israel) about deciphering stem cell‐niche interactions in hematopoiesis. During the meeting, scientists from the LBC ONC and from cooperating institutions presented their research projects within the LBC ONC.

The research within the LBC ONC focusses on i) identification and characterization of leukemic stem cells (LSC) in myeloid and lymphoid neoplasms, ii) identification of clinically relevant therapeutic targets in LSC, iii) examining the effects of various targeted drugs and drug combinations on growth and survival of LSC.

A further aim of the LBC ONC is to provide a multidisciplinary platform for interactive, cooperative research on LSC in Vienna and Austria and to promote collaborations with national and international partners and networks working in the field of LSC.

In addition, the LBC ONC aims to educate young scientists interested in LSC research, to promote junior group leaders and to motivate clinical colleagues to translate LSC concepts into clinics.

The ultimate goal of the LBC ONC is to enable development of novel treatment concepts based on LSC eradication.

To reach this goal, the LBC ONC has established a series of collaboration platforms and organized a series of international meetings and conferences on LSC in the past 10 years.

The LBC ONC celebrated a recently signed partnership contract between the LBG and the Vetmeduni Vienna by organizing a KickOff Meeting on August 23^rd, 2017.

After an introduction by the rector of the Vetmeduni Vienna, Petra Winter and the area manager of the LBG, Peter Mayrhofer, the scientists involved in the partnership have presented their research projects.

The LBC ONC and the Vetmeduni Vienna have a long-standing partnership that goes back to the establishment of the LBC ONC in 2008. In 2017, this partnership was formalized by establishing a formal partnership agreement between the LBG and the Vetmeduni Vienna.

Research projects with the Vetmeduni Vienna focus on two major topics: comparative oncology and in vivo models.

Comparative oncology has the aim to improve cancer treatment of human- and animal patients by translating knowledge from one model to another. Fast translation of findings can promote rapid development of human anti-neoplastic drugs and enable veterinarians to treat their patients better by parallel development of drugs for the veterinary sector.

The Vetmeduni Vienna provides the LBC ONC with state-of-the-art expertise in the field of in vivo models, which is necessary for drug development and drug testing. The experience and knowledge of the Institute of Laboratory Animal Science is essential for the validation of newly found leukemic stem cell (LSC) markers and for testing the potential for elimination of LSC of newly developed drugs.

From April 28^th to 29^th 2017 the working conference on erythroid disorders was held at the Medical University of Vienna. Important aspects in normal and neoplastic erythropoiesis regarding gene regulation and targeted treatment concepts were presented and discussed by leading experts in the field of hematology.

The first day of the workshop started with the welcome talk and introduction of Prof. Dr. Peter Valent who organized this notable occasion. During the first day, invited speakers from Germany, France, Switzerland and Austria presented important and interesting topics ranging from regulation and molecular mechanism of normal and neoplastic erythropoiesis, histologic and immunophenotypic evaluation of red cell production, pathogenesis, basic concepts and novel therapy approaches of anemias.

The second day was the closed part of the working conference where intensive talks and discussions were held from the international experts.The second part of this workshop focused especially on indication and standards of treatment in various forms of anemias. After the summary and closing remarks the faculty members were invited for dinner at a typical viennese restaurant in the 9^th district of Vienna.

As a result of the workshop, the faculty members wrote a publication that summarizes new diagnsotics and prognostic markers, the WHO classification, and an novel drugs and treatment options for vaious indications, such as myelodysplastic syndroms (MDS) and other neoplasms (Haematologica October 2018 103: 1593-1603; doi:10.3324/haematol.2018.192518).

On May 24, 2017 the Comparative Oncology Meeting on Mast Cells and Mast Cell Neoplasms took place at the University of Veterinary Medicine of Vienna. The meeting entitled Mast Cell Neoplasms in Dogs and Men: From Gene Regulation to Targeted Treatment Concepts was organized by Peter Valent, Emir Hadzijusufovic and Michael Willmann.

Experts from Europe came together and presented their data on models for mast cell research, mutation analysis and treatment options for human and canine mast cell neoplasms. The canine patient is used as a model for human patients suffering from mast cell neoplasms, but also dogs can benefit from the knowledge and development of human cancer therapies. The main aim of this meeting was to improve oncological therapy in mast cell neoplasms of both humans and dogs.

On May 25, 2017 the closed session of the meeting was located at Meliá Vienna Hotel in the 22^nd district of Vienna and focused especially on diagnosis and treatment for canine mast cell tumor. Topics ranged from diagnostic standards, value of KIT mutations in diagnosis and treatment stratification, symptomatic therapy in order to target mast cell mediators, current standards of therapy, and future standards. In order to summarize the meeting, the faculty members wrote a paper on comparative oncology in human and canine mast cell neoplasms (Willmann M et al., Vet Comp Oncol. 2018). In this paper, they review the current status of comparative oncology approaches in human and canine mast cell neoplasms.

The summer of 2016 marked the 10^th anniversary of the EU-US collaboration to standardize parameters of disease and diagnostics for practice and clinical trials in patients with Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). Experts from Europe and the US were brought together to discuss recently discovered cytogenetic, molecular and flow cytometry-based markers that may help in the delineation and prognostication of potential MDS and pre-MDS conditions.

The scene was set by reflecting on the morphology, histological features, patterns and differential diagnosis in MDS. During the day, the experts discussed scoring systems in MDS, cytogenetic and molecular features, application of flow cytometry, as well as treatment approaches in MDS.

The following days were focusing on the minimal diagnostic criteria and prognostication in MDS. Emerging cytogenetic and molecular markers were discussed, followed by pre-MDS conditions and refinements of the morphologic criteria.

The outcomes of this conference, including criteria and a proposal for the classification of pre-MDS conditions as well as updated minimal diagnostic criteria of MDS, were summarized and published in the following year (https://doi.org/10.18632/oncotarget.19008 ) with the aim to facilitate diagnostic and prognostic evaluations in clinical studies as well as in clinical practice.

The LBC ONC has organized a workshop on Biology, Classification and Therapy of Basophil Disorders on March 3^rd and 4^th, 2016.

The aim of a series of meeting was to bring together experts from all over Europe and to discuss classification of basophilic leukemias.

A highlight of the meeting was a joint microscopy session, chaired by Hans-Peter Horny, a world-famous pathologist.

Due to the rarity of basophilic diseases, criteria for the diagnosis and classification of basophilic leukemias have not been established yet. This is an unmet need for diagnosis, treatment and prognosis for patients suffering from this type of diseases. The effort culminated in this workshop and a publication in a top journal in the field of hematology (Leukemia 2017, DOI: 10.1038/leu.2017.15).

During the meeting, the faculty focused on providing a summary of consensus statements from this and previous meetings with the aim to propose criteria to delineate acute basophilic leukemia (ABL) from chronic basophilic leukemia (CBL) and primary forms of the disease where no preceding myeloid malignancy is detected, from the more common ‘secondary’ variants. Furthermore, a novel term was proposed: hyperbasophilia (HB) as description for cases with persistent peripheral basophil count (⩾1000 per μl).

The criteria and classification proposed in this meeting should facilitate the diagnosis and management of patients with unexplained basophilia and basophil neoplasms in routine practice and in clinical studies.

August 20^th 2015 marks the 100^th anniversary of the death of Paul Ehrlich, the great German visionary, doctor and Nobel Prize laureate who among many other things achieved groundbreaking discoveries in immunology, targeted therapy, and mast cell research. In his honor, the Ludwig Boltzmann Cluster Oncology organized a two-day meeting to celebrate his greatest achievements.

The first day of the meeting took place in the Van Swieten Lecture hall of the Medical University of Vienna. The programm opened with a session about Paul Ehrlich’s life and discoveries and their impact on science in the 21^st century. During the rest of the day, representatives from Vienna’s most renowned biomedical research facilites (including the CeMM, IMBA and IMP of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, several departments of the Medical University of Vienna, and the St. Anna Children’s Cancer Research Institute) presented interesting data from their own research. Spanning topics from allergy research over basic and applied cancer and leukemia studies to skin and kidney disease, participants and guests from all biomedical disciplines could enjoy a comprehensive overview of research excellency in Vienna.

On the second day, the meeting focused especially on mast cells and mast cell-associated disorders. A worldwide panel of experts on mast cells in allergy, mast cell activation syndromes and systemic mastocytosis presented their data. Topics ranged from the function of mast cells in health and disease to the classification, diagnosis and therapy of mast cell-associated disorders such as systemic mastocytosis and mast cell leukemia.

The meeting was accompanied by social events such as a guided tour through the inner city of Vienna. In the evenings, the faculty was entertained by dinners in the historical hotel Regina in the 9^th district of Vienna and on Kahlenberg mountain, from where the participants could enjoy a great view over the city.

In order to commemorate the meeting the faculty members wrote a publication on Paul Ehrlich and the impact of his work (Valent P et al., J Innate Immun. 2016).