| Page 17 | Aplastic Anemia and MDS International Foundation (AAMDSIF) Return to top.

Science Simplified: What is a Natural History Study?

Want to learn about scientific topics without needing a PhD? Check out the Science Simplified blog from TESS Research Foundation! Dr. Tanya Brown, PhD, works with researchers to make science accessible and empower rare disease community members with scientific knowledge. Dr. Brown has over a decade of experience in neurodevelopmental research and is currently the Scientific Director for TESS Research Foundation. Please reach out to her at tanya@tessfoundation.org if you have questions or comments.

mRNA COVID-19 Vaccination Sparks Strong Antibody Response in Patients With AML and MDS

The mRNA COVID-19 Vaccines Are Safe and Effective for Most Patients with Cancer
For most patients with cancer, the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective. This article explains the results of the first study that evaluated the safety and effectiveness of the mRNA vaccines in patients with solid cancers, such as lung, breast, or prostate cancer.
November 2021 – Lung Cancer
Laura Morgan

Leslie S. Kean, MD, PhD, on Bone Marrow Transplantation: Using Abatacept to Prevent Graft-vs-Host Disease

Leslie S. Kean, MD, PhD, of Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, discusses findings from her analysis of the International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research Database, which led to the recent FDA approval of abatacept for the prevention of acute graft-vs-host disease (GVHD) in adult and pediatric patients. The data suggest improved overall survival with the immunosuppressant abatacept in combination with a calcineurin inhibitor and methotrexate following 7/8 HLA–matched unrelated allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (Abstract 3912).

Eunice S. Wang, MD, on FLT3-Mutated AML: Gilteritinib and Azacitidine for Intensive Induction Chemotherapy–Ineligible Patients

Eunice S. Wang, MD, of Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, discusses phase III results showing that gilteritinib and azacitidine led to significantly higher composite complete response rates in patients with newly diagnosed FLT3-mutant