BD Life Sciences-Biosciences, a segment of BD (Becton, Dickinson, and Company) in collaboration with The Cytometry Society of India, Christian Medical College – Vellore organized a 2-day workshop for laboratory personnel on technological advancement and best practices made towards assessment of Minimal Residual Disease (MRD) in Acute Leukemia & Myeloma. This knowledge-sharing workshop was attended by nearly 100 participants, from across the country, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, Philippines, and Korea. Eminent speakers from leading medical colleges and hospitals elaborated on the technical and analytical components of MRD assessment.
BD Life Sciences workshop on MRD
Commenting on the initiative, Atul Grover, Managing Director, BD India/South Asia said, “Over the years, flow cytometry has proven to be an invaluable asset in several clinical applications. We organized this workshop with our partners to bring focus on the role that flow cytometry can play in the detection of Minimal Residual Disease. Our aim is to encourage best practices for better patient outcomes in alignment with our purpose of Advancing the World of Health.”
Participants from India, Srilanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, Phillipines and Korea
Minimal residual disease (MRD) is a term used to describe the small number of cancer cells in the body after cancer treatment. An MRD positive test result means that the disease was still detected after treatment. Doctors use MRD to measure the effectiveness of treatment and to predict which patients are at risk of relapse. It can also help doctors confirm and monitor remissions, and possibly identify an early return of cancer.
Present at the workshop, Dr. Arun Kumar Arunachalam, Associate Professor, Department of Haematology, Christian Medical College, Vellore said, “It is exciting to see the interest in the field of MRD and in fact, when we started planning for this workshop, we never imagined that this would be the level of enthusiasm in the country and beyond. There were lots of interactions and discussions between the speakers and the delegates and I am sure everyone who attended the event would have benefitted from the program. Looking forward to more such academic collaborations with BD.”
Monitoring the response to chemotherapy and the depth of remission plays a critical role in the management of patients with hematological malignancies. It is important for practicing hematopathologists to understand the prognostic and therapeutic significance of the MRD result and be aware of the advances made in this field.
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.
About BD-India
BD is one of the largest global medical technology companies in the world and is advancing the world of health by improving medical discovery, diagnostics, and the delivery of care. BD helps customers enhance outcomes, lower costs, increase efficiencies, improve safety, and expand access to health care.
