The 29th Annual Congress of the European Hematology Association (EHA) was grandly held in Madrid, Spain, from June 13 to 16, 2024. As the largest international conference in the field of hematology in Europe, it attracts experts and scholars from all over the world every year to share and discuss innovative ideas and the latest scientific and clinical research findings in hematology. At this year's conference, a study by Dr. Yang Liang from Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center was selected for poster presentation, exploring how FLT3-ITD promotes immune escape in AML cells by up-regulating CD47 expression and reducing the phagocytic ability of macrophages. To provide insight into these research findings, "Oncology Frontier-Hematology Frontier" invited Dr. Yang Liang to give us a brief introduction to the study.

FLT3-ITD Induces Immune Escape in AML via Up-Regulating CD47 Expression and Decreased Phagocytic Ability of Macrophages (Abstract No: P435)

FLT3-ITD is a poor prognostic factor in AML, promoting immune escape of leukemia cells by up-regulating CD47 expression and reducing macrophage phagocytic ability. This study used flow cytometry to detect CD47 expression, constructed FLT3-OE and FLT3-ITD K562/HEL cell models, and utilized bioinformatics tools to analyze the regulatory mechanisms of the CD47 gene. The research found that CD47 expression levels in FLT3-ITD cell lines were significantly higher than those in FLT3-WT cell lines, and that HOXB5 might up-regulate CD47 at the transcriptional level. Furthermore, the study demonstrated that the combined use of CD47 inhibitors and the FLT3-ITD inhibitor Quizartinib significantly enhanced macrophage phagocytic activity and reduced tumor burden in AML mouse models, providing new strategies for AML treatment.

Dr. Yang Liang

• Director of the Hematology Oncology Department, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center
• Chief Physician, Researcher, Doctoral Supervisor, Postdoctoral Supervisor, Leader of the South China Oncology National Key Laboratory Project Group
• Member of the Plasma Cell Disease Group, Hematology Branch, Chinese Medical Association
• Member of the Integrative Medicine Group, Hematology Branch, Chinese Medical Association
• Vice Chairman of the Hematology Physicians Branch, Guangdong Medical Doctor Association
• High-level Talent in Guangdong Province, Pearl River Talent Program, Scholar of the “Hundred Talents Program” of Sun Yat-sen University
• PhD from the Shanghai Institute of Hematology, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University; Postdoctoral Fellow in the Hematology Department, Yale Cancer Center
• Research focus: Pathogenesis and targeted therapy of hematologic malignancies
• Principal investigator of multiple projects funded by the National Natural Science Foundation and provincial and ministerial projects
• Published numerous clinical and research articles in high-impact peer-reviewed journals such as NEJM, Nature Reviews Disease Primers, JCO, Cancer Cell, with over 2800 citations
• Associate Editor and International Editorial Board Member of the journal Leukemia, reviewer for high-impact international journals such as STTT, JITC, Cell Reports, and Chinese Journal of Hematology