iwAL 2018 | Genomics and acute leukemia management: artificial intelligence, deep learning & pre-leukemic clones

An interesting session on the impact of genomic data on the management of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) was held at the 1st International Workshop on Acute Leukemias (iwAL), in St. Pete Beach, FL. In this panel discussion, filmed at the meeting, Mark Levis, MD, PhD, of the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Baltimore, MD, is joined by Ari Melnick, MD, of Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, Klaus Metzeler, MD, of LMU-University Hospital Munich, Munich, Germany, and Torsten Haferlach, MD, of the MLL Munich Leukemia Laboratory, Munich, Germany. The use of artificial intelligence in the analysis of the massive amounts of data that come from genetic and epigenetic sequencing is discussed by the experts. Dr Metzeler highlights the evolution of leukemia, leading many to view it as a dynamic disease. The intriguing nature of pre-leukemic clones, which are distinct from minimal residual disease, is also explored by the panel, who lastly turn to the future of biomarkers to predict the effectiveness of hypomethylating agents