title: An international effort to cure a global health problem: A report on the 19th Hemoglobin Switching Conference.
abstract: Every 2 years since 1978, an international group of scientists, physicians, and other researchers meet to discuss the latest developments in the underlying etiology, mechanisms of action, and developmental acquisition of cellular and systemic defects exhibited and elicited by the most common inherited human disorders, the hemoglobinopathies. The 19th Hemoglobin Switching Conference, held in September 2014 at St. John's College in Oxford, once again exceeded all expectations by describing cutting edge research in cellular, molecular, developmental, and genomic advances focused on these diseases. The conference comprised about 60 short talks over 3 days by leading investigators in the field. This meeting report describes the highlights of the conference.
authors.affiliation: Division of Hematology, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
authors.forename: Gerd A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Blobel
authors.affiliation: National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bodine
authors.affiliation: Sprott Center for Stem Cell Research, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Marjorie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Brand
authors.affiliation: Division of Hematology/Oncology, Robert H Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA.
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Crispino
authors.affiliation: MRC Molecular Haematology Unit, Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, John Radcliffe Hospital University of Oxford, Oxford, UK; BRC Blood Theme, NIHR Oxford Biomedical Centre, Oxford University Hospital, Oxford, UK.
authors.forename: Marella F T R
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: de Bruijn
authors.affiliation: Division of Hematology and Oncology, Boston Children's Hospital, Departments of Pediatrics and Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Nathan
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, USA.
authors.forename: Thalia
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Papayannopoulou
authors.affiliation: MRC Molecular Haematology Unit, Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, John Radcliffe Hospital University of Oxford, Oxford, UK; BRC Blood Theme, NIHR Oxford Biomedical Centre, Oxford University Hospital, Oxford, UK.
authors.forename: Catherine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Porcher
authors.affiliation: Division of Molecular Oncology, Biomedical Sciences Research Center "Alexander Fleming", Vari, Greece.
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Strouboulis
authors.affiliation: Boston Children's Hospital/HHMI, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Len
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zon
authors.affiliation: MRC Molecular Haematology Unit, Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, John Radcliffe Hospital University of Oxford, Oxford, UK; BRC Blood Theme, NIHR Oxford Biomedical Centre, Oxford University Hospital, Oxford, UK.
authors.forename: Douglas R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Higgs
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, USA.
authors.forename: George
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Stamatoyannopoulos
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA. Electronic address: engel@umich.edu.
authors.forename: James Douglas
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Engel
mesh_terms: D003226:Congresses as Topic; D006453:Hemoglobinopathies / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D006454:Hemoglobins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans
chemical_list: D006454:Hemoglobins