Presidential Symposium

Major advances have delineated the central role of chromatin in cell lineage differentiation in health and disease. Parallel advances have defined epigenetic mechanisms regulating normal and malignant hematopoiesis. These insights have provided the framework and expanded the spectrum of novel therapeutic targets in hematologic malignancies. This session will span from biology to clinical translation of therapies modulating chromatin in cancer and other diseases.

Dr. Richard Young will discuss recent insights into the roles of chromatin structure in health and disease. Chromosomes have DNA, RNA, and protein components that form chromatin, which has essential roles in gene control.

Dr. Margaret Goodell will discuss the mechanisms through which DNA methylation, in particular, helps orchestrate stem cell differentiation as well as the cross-talk with other elements that control gene expression. The frequent mutation of epigenetic regulators observed in most hematologic malignancies has revealed their critical roles in ensuring normal blood development.

Dr. James Bradner will examine the remarkable progress in the optimization and translation of chromatin-targeting small molecules in cancer and, increasingly, in non-malignant hematologic diseases. The convergence of advances in epigenomic analysis, human genetics, and chemical biology have focused coordinated efforts in drug discovery around chromatin-associated protein complexes.