Latest CATCH ALL research presented at the EHA 2026 Congress
The European Hematology Association (EHA) Congress is one of the leading international meetings in hematology that brings together researchers and clinicians from around the world to discuss the latest advances in blood cancer research and patient care. This year, the congress took place from 11 to 14 June in Stockholm, Sweden, with approximately 18,000 attendees.
The clinical research unit CATCH ALL was represented by several of its researchers from the University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein, Campus Kiel, who presented new findings from their projects within the international leukemia research community.
Prof. Martin Schrappe, PI of the Z project during the first funding phase presented results from the randomized high-risk arm of the AIEOP-BFM ALL 2017 trial during the EHA 2026 Plenary Session, assessing the replacement of two intensive chemotherapy blocks with two cycles of blinatumomab in children with newly diagnosed high-risk B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL). Click here for a video of Prof. Schrappe briefly explaining the results and impact of the study.
Dr. Karin Huber presented research on the spatial organization of leukemic microenvironments. Using advanced spatial analysis approaches, her work identified distinct micro-niches in acute leukemia and highlights how interactions between leukemia cells and their surrounding tissue may influence disease progression and treatment response.
Dr. Dennis Das Gupta presented work investigating how cooperating genetic alterations drive metabolic reprogramming in acute lymphoblastic leukemia by inducing aerobic glycolysis. The study provides new insights into how leukemia cells adapt their energy metabolism and may reveal novel therapeutic vulnerabilities.
PhD candidate Sonja Bendig presented findings on IGH::ID4-rearranged B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia, demonstrating that these rearrangements represent a recurrent driver alteration and define a distinct molecular subgroup of the disease with specific biological characteristics.
The congress offered great opportunities for scientific exchange and networking leaving our CATCH ALL researchers with many new ideas and perspectives. CATCH ALL is a DFG-funded clinical research unit, mainly at the UKSH, Campus Kiel and the University Cancer Center Schleswig-Holstein.