Symposium Held in Recognition of Blood Disease Research Platform’s Fifth Anniversary

December 19, 2024

The fifth anniversary of the National Longitudinal Cohort of Hematological Diseases in China (NICHE) was recognized during a symposium on December 6, 2024, in San Diego, California. NICHE, an international and multidisciplinary blood disease research platform, was co-established by Analysis Group and the Institute of Hematology & Blood Diseases Hospital (IHBDH) in 2019.

The NICHE Program Meeting: The 5th Anniversary Symposium celebrated the milestones and research achievements of NICHE, explored future directions for the initiative, and invited leaders across sectors to collaborate on advancing the use of real-world evidence. To date, NICHE has enrolled 56,000 patients across 13 distinct diseases and supported many impactful projects. The symposium reinforced NICHE’s role as a global leader in advancing hematological research through its innovative design, comprehensive data, and extensive biobank. Speakers highlighted how NICHE has fostered multicenter collaboration, facilitated data and resource sharing, and upheld high standards for real-world data generation. The establishment of the NICHE CAR-T registry was also announced at the symposium, with 621 patients already enrolled.

Cohosted by Analysis Group and IHBDH, the symposium began with opening remarks from IHBDH President Dr. Tao Cheng and National Clinical Research Center for Blood Diseases Director Dr. Jianxiang Wang, who set the stage for a series of engaging and insightful discussions. To start these discussions, Dr. Sha Hao introduced IHBDH and the NICHE initiative, Dr. Erlie Jiang described pioneering work in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, and Dr. Ying Wang provided updates about the registry. Then, Dr. Wei-Li Zhao of Ruijin Hospital demonstrated the application of artificial intelligence to lymphoma research and Dr. Jian Cui discussed cutting-edge risk prediction strategies in multiple myeloma.

To round out the program, Analysis Group Vice President Dr. Jia Zhong delivered a presentation on high-quality disease models, NICHE’s unique information ecosystem, and its robust data methodology. The discussions concluded with a dynamic Q&A session led by Analysis Group Vice President Dr. Irina Pivneva. Closing remarks were delivered by IHBDH Deputy Director Dr. Jun Shi and Analysis Group Managing Principal Dr. Eric Q. Wu.

More information on Analysis Group’s involvement with NICHE is available here.