To achieve a consensus on a suitable panel and analysis strategy to report Acute Myeloid Leukemia – Measurable Residual Disease (AML-MRD) by flow cytometry, BD Life Sciences-Biosciences, a segment of BD (Becton, Dickinson, and Company) recently organized a workshop inviting leading hematopathologists from the country.

With the primary objective of enabling better patient outcomes through accurate diagnosis, this scientific workshop was co-conceptualized by Dr. Paresh Jain, Associate Director, BD Singapore, Dr. Anil Handoo, Senior Director and HOD Laboratory Services, BLK-Max Super Specialty Hospital, New Delhi, and Dr. Arun Kumar Arunachalam, Assistant Professor, Department of Haematology CMC-Vellore.

Experts from TMH-Mumbai, AIIMS Delhi, TMC-Kolkata, FMRI Gurgaon, Apollo Chennai, RGCI Delhi, Action Cancer Hospital-Delhi, and, Sehgal Path Lab Mumbai deliberated on the nuances of this advanced flow cytometry test used to assess the response to treatment in patients suffering from acute myeloid leukemia.

Commenting on the initiative, Atul Grover, Managing Director, BD India/South Asia said, “This scientific workshop, co-organized with stalwarts from the medical fraternity in the field of hematopathology is a pioneering step to develop best practices in flow cytometry technology with the end goal of enabling better patient outcomes, in alignment with our purpose of Advancing the World of Health.”

Present at the workshop, Dr Anil Handoo, Senior Director, Max Healthcare Institute Ltd, BLK-Max Super Specialty Hospital, New Delhi said, “While flow cytometry science has come of age in India, newer applications of this versatile technique make it mandatory to have constant update of understanding and interpretation of the data. AML MRD is such a new area under evolution requiring updating and handholding. This scientific workshop is intended to provide a guidance document for the performance of AML MRD assay to enhance assay reproducibility across centers in India.” 

Puneet Talwar, Business Director- India/ South Asia, BD Lifesciences- Biosciences added, “This initiative was the need of the hour as many labs are adopting MRD testing or having an interest in starting MRD assays in the near future. The AML-MRD had been identified as one of the more difficult assays to standardize. With the support of our academic partners in this scientific workshop we aim to address the critical challenges related to AML-MRD testing and help labs in standardizing AML MRD testing across the India/ South Asia region.”

Aligned with its commitment to Flow Cytometry, BD Biosciences in India has established Centers of Excellence in Flow Cytometry through collaborative partnerships with several academic institutes and clinical centers of repute with an aim to develop and jointly organize workshops, seminars and training programs on Flow Cytometry.

About Flow Cytometry

Flow Cytometry is a process used to sort, separate, and examine microscopic particles, such as cells and chromosomes. It plays an important role in clinical diagnostics and research. BD offers a growing portfolio of Flow Cytometry instruments for leukemia/lymphoma phenotyping, stem cell research, immunology, and CD4 testing.