Symposium to Explore Research Advances of Critical Blood Disorders

NEW YORK, October 14, 2015 -- On October 18 - 22 in Chicago, global experts will convene for the Tenth Cooley's Anemia Symposium, presented by the Cooley's Anemia Foundation and the New York Academy of Sciences, to explore research related to thalassemia, a group of genetic blood disorders that affects the production of proteins in hemoglobin, which is essential to the proper functioning of red blood cells. Those living with severe forms of thalassemia suffer from a life-threatening anemia requiring lifelong blood transfusions, and are faced with other serious health conditions, including heart and liver damage, diabetes, low bone mass, and pulmonary hypertension.

The Cooley's Anemia Foundation and the Academy have been holding symposia on this topic regularly since 1963, at 5-6 year intervals. "This has been the preeminent forum for convening the thalassemia research community, the pharmaceutical industry, and funding agencies dedicated to fighting this blood disorder. And the 2015 meeting will carry on this proud tradition," says Ellis Rubinstein, President & CEO, the New York Academy of Sciences.

Since the Ninth Cooley's Anemia Symposium in 2009, all areas of thalassemia research have sustained major advances. The 2015 Symposium will bring together basic scientists, clinical investigators, and clinicians to explore the latest research and thinking on: the biology of globin gene regulation and fetal hemoglobin induction; evolving areas of stem cell transplantation, gene therapy strategies, and gene editing; the biology of iron regulation and possible therapeutic interventions in the hepcidin regulatory system; and clinical issues in thalassemia treatment and imaging.

Leading investigators, together with physicians involved in thalassemia care from around the world, will be featured speakers. Keynote speakers include Stuart H. Orkin, MD, Boston Children's Hospital and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, who will give the scientific keynote address, and Maria Domenica Cappellini, MD, University of Milan, who will give the clinical keynote address. Interactive poster sessions will allow trainees involved in all of these research areas to present their work.

"These symposia are among the most influential events in the history of thalassemia," says CAF National President Anthony J. Viola. "Each symposium is an enormous undertaking, requiring painstaking work by all those involved, but the effort is well worth it. The opportunity to bring together the finest minds in thalassemia from around the world and to learn from their shared knowledge is rare and precious. We are grateful to Ellis Neufeld, CAF's Medical Advisory Board Chair, Brooke Grindlinger, NYAS's Executive Director of Scientific Programs, and Gina Cioffi, CAF's National Executive Director, along with all the members of the Scientific Organizing Committee, for their incredible dedication to ensuring the high level of quality of this important meeting. The Foundation is also grateful to the many doctors and scientists who are sharing their knowledge and expertise in such a meaningful way."

For more information about the event, including a full agenda and speaker bios, please visit www.nyas.org/thalassemia2015.

For press inquiries, including press passes to the events, please contact Diana Friedman (dfriedman@nyas.org; 212-298-8645).

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About the Cooley's Anemia Foundation

Founded in 1954, the Cooley's Anemia Foundation is dedicated to serving people afflicted with various forms of thalassemia. The Foundation's mission is to increase life expectancy and enhance the quality of life for those impacted by thalassemia. We do so by funding medical research to advance treatment and curative approaches, by supporting and advising patients and their families and advocating on their behalf and by educating medical professionals and the general public. Every day, we strive for longer and healthier lives for all patients with thalassemia until a universal cure is found.

About the New York Academy of Sciences

The New York Academy of Sciences is an independent, not-for-profit organization that since 1817 has been committed to advancing science, technology, and society worldwide. With more than 20,000 members in 100 countries around the world, the Academy is creating a global community of science for the benefit of humanity. The Academy's core mission is to advance scientific knowledge, positively impact the major global challenges of society with science-based solutions, and increase the number of scientifically informed individuals in society at large. Please visit us online at www.nyas.org.