Fred Hutch hematologists featured at 2026 Tandem Meetings

Fred Hutch scientists presented research on stem cell transplantation risks and gene expression changes during pre-transplant conditioning.

Published on Mar. 9, 2026

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Fred Hutch Cancer Center hematologists took center stage at the 2026 Tandem Meetings, a multidisciplinary meeting of experts in the field of blood stem cell transplantation, held in Salt Lake City. Researchers presented findings on how stem cell transplantation risks can be mitigated for people with risk factors such as obesity, as well as a study on how gene expression in stem cells prior to a bone marrow transplant can change during pre-transplant 'conditioning' regimens.

Why it matters

The research presented by Fred Hutch scientists at the Tandem Meetings aims to improve outcomes for stem cell transplant recipients by better understanding the factors that can impact the success of these procedures, including the role of gene expression and the effects of pre-transplant conditioning regimens on different patient populations.

The details

Boglarka Gyurkocza, MD, presented research on how the genes expressed in stem cells can change during the pre-transplant conditioning process, which involves chemotherapy drugs and/or radiation to prepare the body to receive the transplant. Gyurkocza found distinct gene expression patterns between patients who received total body radiation as part of their conditioning and those who did not. Naveed Ali, MD, presented a retrospective study examining the links between higher doses of the chemotherapy drug cyclophosphamide required for overweight and obese patients and higher rates of severe acute graft-versus-host disease and non-relapse mortality.

  • The Tandem Meetings were held from February 4-7, 2026 in Salt Lake City.
  • Gyurkocza worked on an earlier study at Fred Hutch from 2006 to 2013 before moving to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, and then returned to Fred Hutch in 2024.

The players

Boglarka Gyurkocza, MD

An associate professor in the Clinical Research Division at Fred Hutch who presented research on how gene expression in stem cells changes during pre-transplant conditioning regimens.

Jerald Radich, MD

A professor in the Translational Science and Therapeutics Division at Fred Hutch and holder of the Kurt Enslein Endowed Chair, who provided the stem cell samples that Gyurkocza used in her research.

Naveed Ali, MD

An assistant professor in the Clinical Research Division at Fred Hutch who presented research on the links between higher doses of cyclophosphamide and increased rates of severe acute graft-versus-host disease and non-relapse mortality in overweight and obese stem cell transplant recipients.

Julie R. Boiko, MD, PhD

A research associate in the lab of Geoffrey Hill, MD, FRACP, FRCPA, who received an ASTCT 2026 New Investigator Award for her project on macrophage heterogeneity in bronchiolitis obliterans pathogenesis.

Stosh Ozog, MD, PhD

A pediatric hematology/oncology fellow at Fred Hutch who received an ASTCT 2026 New Investigator Award for his research project on T cell dynamics after hematopoietic cell transplantation.

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What they’re saying

“We were able to find very distinct genes and very distinct gene expression patterns' between the groups studied.”

— Boglarka Gyurkocza, Associate Professor, Clinical Research Division, Fred Hutch

“We now have a thousand ideas about how to bring this [research] forward.”

— Boglarka Gyurkocza, Associate Professor, Clinical Research Division, Fred Hutch

What’s next

Gyurkocza plans to continue her research by further examining the genes whose expression was correlated with higher levels of progression-free survival and the genes whose levels of expression were correlated with higher PFS rates in the patients who received radiation in addition to conditioning drugs before their transplants.

The takeaway

The research presented by Fred Hutch scientists at the Tandem Meetings highlights the institution's ongoing efforts to improve stem cell transplantation outcomes by better understanding the complex biological factors that can influence the success of these procedures, including the role of gene expression and the effects of pre-transplant conditioning regimens on different patient populations.