Asian Myeloma Network Annual Summit
A summary report from the 7th Annual Asian Myeloma Network (AMN) Summit which took place in person from October 19-22 in Bangkok, Thailand.
The IMF’s Asian Myeloma Network (AMN), comprising 166 experts from China, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam, held its 2023 annual series of meetings on October 19–22 in Bangkok, Thailand.
The AMN carries out significant research in myeloma. Currently, there are eight AMN clinical trial projects across the region. The AMN also conducts physician training and provides patient support. The AMN has also recently launched the virtual Asian Tissue Bank, providing a catalog to share biobank testing results online, a first initiative under the IMF’s International Myeloma Working Group (IMWG) planned global Biobank. AMN members also participate in the global Immune Therapy Registry for myeloma.
Asian Myeloma Network (AMN) Annual Summit
The AMN Summit has become the most sought-after invitation for Asian myeloma doctors. In order to maintain a workshop format, the 7th AMN Summit in Bangkok limited participation to 104 doctors from the region, with active support from observers from 13 industry partners.
Cutting-edge research information was provided by international and Asian speakers, including the faculty from the AMN Master Class for Asian hematologists. Following a keynote address by Dr. Bruno Paiva, discussions were held on the latest developments in sessions devoted to “Cure vs. Control,” “Immune Therapy,” “MRD,” “New Therapeutic Agents in Development,” and “Smoldering Myeloma/Screening.” Thereafter, the meeting broke into working groups to develop AMN projects and Asian treatment guidelines on the themes of “Infection,” “Bone/Imaging in Asia,” “Smoldering Myeloma/Screening,” and “Other Plasma Cell Disorders.”
The Summit reviewed the status of the AMN Clinical Trials and the AMN Tissue Bank, and concluded with an analysis of priority needs for treatment in Asia based on resource availability.
For the first time, the AMN Summit honored one of the AMN members, Dr. Kazuyuki Shimizu, recognizing his long and excellent service in the fight against myeloma in Asia. Dr. Shimizu is the first recipient of the AMN Distinguished Service Award.
AMN Master Class
The 3rd AMN Master Class was a two-day intensive training program for mid-level Asian hematologists. The recent course in Bangkok featured 44 on-site participants from all AMN countries and regions, as well as 20 participants joining virtually from a studio in Beijing. The international faculty included Dr. Brian G.M. Durie, Dr. Wee Joo Chng, Dr. Jean Luc Harousseau, Dr. James Chim, Dr. Jeffrey Huang, Dr. Thomas Martin, Dr. Kihyun Kim, and Dr. Hiroshi Handa.
In addition to lectures and discussions on diagnostic criteria, prognositic factors, and risk stratification, as well as existing treatment options in Asia and new options including immune therapy, case studies were analyzed, and a course exam administered, with certificates provided to the successful participants.
Given the success of the AMN Master Class, plans are being made to expand this activity significantly in the future.
AMN Patient Forum
The one-day 3rd AMN Patient Forum provides the opportunity for patient organization representatives from the AMN countries and regions to meet and compare experiences.
In Bangkok, some 40 representatives were present from eight of the AMN countries and regions. Led by AMN expert Dr. Daryl Tan ofSingapore, each group presented its activities with lessons learned from the successful Korean Blood Disease Cancer Association showcased. During the Forum, the IMF unveiled the AMN Patient Tool Kit, providing myeloma patient informational materials and brochures in several local languages.
In an open discussion on future needs, priority project activities in each country and region were identified for follow-up attention.Yelak Biru (IMF President & CEO) explained the work of the IMF’s Global Myeloma Action Network (GMAN) and encouraged the Asian groups to participate in this work.
Adjacent to the Patient Forum, the Thai and Korean groups held a bilateral meeting establishing a cooperative program for implementation in 2024.
The 2023 AMN annual events held in Bangkok were extremely successful, solidifying the IMF’s preeminent position for myeloma work in Asia. We thank our industry partners for supporting these initiatives and activities. Platinum Sponsors: Amgen, Bristol Myers Squibb, and Sanofi. Gold Sponsors: Abbvie, Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson, and Binding Site. Silver Sponsors: Antegene, GSK, Pfizer, and Sebia. Local Sponsors: BeiGene and Takeda China.