With the close of 2025, we wanted to take stock of the ninth year for Blood Advances, which has had another banner year. We continue to receive an impressive number of submissions, both cascaded from Blood and submitted directly to Blood Advances. In 2025, Blood Advances’ impact factor was 7.1, with the total citations for the journal increasing by an impressive 9% from the previous year. The journal now ranks among the top 15% of all hematology journals and the top 10% in total annual citations.
The clinical guidelines continue to be among our most cited articles. Developed by the guideline oversight subcommittee composed of experts supported by the American Society of Hematology (ASH), these guidelines are clearly important to our readership!
As 2025 draws to a close, we have decided to highlight recently published works in the journal with first or senior authors who were recipients of an ASH Scholar Award. Given the uncertain grant funding environment many have faced in 2025, we wanted to showcase the incredible work that ASH has done to invest in outstanding scientists, physician-scientists, and clinician-researchers who are the future of hematology. For many researchers, the period between the completion of training and the establishment of an independent career can be an uncertain time. The ASH Scholar Award has, for the past 40 years, helped facilitate this transition by providing partial salary or other support to facilitate their path to an independent investigator.
We have therefore selected the following articles that were published in 2024 and 2025 to highlight:
Antibiotic use: impact on the microbiome and cellular therapy outcomes
In this Advances Viewpoint, Darwin et al summarize the impact of the microbiome on cellular therapy outcomes (specifically outcomes after hematopoietic cell transplantation [HCT] and chimeric antigen receptor [CAR] T-cell therapy). Furthermore, they provide some insights into how antibiotic use may further modify or impact the responses and toxicities of these therapies in vivo.1
Evolving racial/ethnic disparities in AML survival in the novel therapy era
In this article, Wang et al report on real-world data derived from a national database showing that non-Hispanic Black patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) have an improved overall survival relative to non-Hispanic White patients in the hypomethylating agent/venetoclax era.2
Trends in volumes and survival after hematopoietic cell transplantation in racial/ethnic minorities
Also evaluating for racial/ethnic differences, Khera et al conducted an analysis using Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research (CIBMTR) data to examine whether the use of HCT and survival change over time across racial groups. Specifically, the authors evaluated 79 904 autologous HCT (autoHCT) recipients and 65 662 allogeneic HCT (alloHCT) recipients reported to the CIBMTR and examined the trends in HCT volumes and overall survival (OS) in 4 racial/ethnic groups. The numbers of HCT over time were significantly higher for Hispanic and non-Hispanic African American patients than for non-Hispanic White patients for both the autoHCT and alloHCT cohorts. Improvement in OS over time was also observed in all 4 ethnic groups after both autoHCT and alloHCT.3
Factors associated with survival following allogeneic transplantation for myeloid neoplasms harboring TP53 mutations
In this report, Baranwal et al evaluate the impact of allogeneic bone marrow transplant for myeloid stem cell disorders harboring TP53 mutations. Within this very-high-risk group, lower TP53 variant allele frequency appeared favorable, as did the use of melphalan-based conditioning. In contrast, the presence of a DNMT3A comutation and pretransplant blasts of >5% were associated with shorter OS.4
EASIX and m-EASIX predict CRS and ICANS in pediatric and AYA patients after CD19-CAR T-cell therapy
Here, Zandaki et al assess the predictive power of the Endothelial Activation and Stress Index (EASIX) and modified EASIX scores for pediatric and adolescent and young adult (AYA) patients treated with CD19 CAR T cells. The findings provide valuable insight into the prediction of cytokine release syndrome (CRS) and immune effector cell–associated neurotoxicity syndrome (ICANS) in pediatric and AYA patients treated with CD19 CAR T cells. Findings from this study may prove useful for the management, preventative treatment, and postinfusion care needs of these patients.5
CNS bridging radiotherapy achieves rapid cytoreduction prior to CAR T-cell therapy for aggressive B-cell lymphoma
This article by Cederquist and colleagues details the largest series of patients with central nervous system (CNS) lymphoma who received bridging radiotherapy (BRT) prior to CD19 CAR T-cell treatment. The group found that CNS-BRT achieves rapid cytoreduction and is associated with a favorable CNS response and safety profile.6
Siltuximab for chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy–related CRS and ICANS: a multicenter retrospective analysis
Bajwa et al report data from a multicenter retrospective analysis studying the efficacy of siltuximab as a first-line or later line of therapy for the treatment of CRS and ICANS in adult patients receiving commercial CAR T-cell therapies. A notable point raised by the authors is the efficacy of siltuximab as a first-line treatment for CRS. This appears to be the largest cohort of patients treated with siltuximab for the treatment of CRS and/or ICANS after CAR T-cell therapy and provides a rationale for future prospective clinical trials.7
Addressing the pathophysiology of venous thrombosis and chronic kidney disease in sickle cell trait using a mouse model
We now move from malignant hematology and immunotherapy to articles published by ASH scholars focused on classical hematology. This report by Trebak and colleagues provides evidence supporting the use of the Townes sickle cell trait (SCT) mouse to model the pathophysiology of kidney disease and venous thrombosis. The authors show that the inner medulla of the kidney induces sickling of red blood cells and that the mice exhibit pathologies observed in humans with SCT. Moreover, larger clots were observed in SCT mice compared to controls following extreme and prolonged hypoxia using an inferior vena cava model of venous thrombosis.8
Deletion of pyruvate dehydrogenase kinases reduces susceptibility to deep vein thrombosis in mice
In this article, Flora et al define the role of aerobic glycolysis on the regulation of neutrophil extracellular trap release and thrombotic events in a mouse model of deep vein thrombosis. These data build on previous work by the authors linking pyruvate dehydrogenase kinases to platelet function and arterial thrombosis, thereby providing a broader perspective.9
Red blood cell aggregation within a blood clot causes platelet-independent clot shrinkage
In the final publication highlighted in this issue, Peshkova et al describe a role of red blood cells (RBCs) in clot contraction and shrinkage that is independent of platelets. The results suggest that RBCs may reinforce clots in physiological circumstances where platelet counts are low.10
In summary, we continue to be excited by the upward trajectory of Blood Advances and the prominence of the journal in the field of hematology. None of this would be possible without our incredible editorial team of Associate Editors: Carl Allen (2010 ASH Scholar), Marie Bleakley, Claudia Lengerke, Georg Lenz, Shannon Maude, Ryan Morin (2019 ASH Scholar), Deepa Manwani, Olatoyosi Odenike, Margaret Ragni, Noopur Raje, Constantine Tam, Geoffrey Uy (2008 ASH Scholar), and Alisa Wolberg, along with Rayne Rouce, our Digital Commissioning Editor.
We thank you, our readership, sincerely for the privilege to lead the journal and are extremely grateful to all our reviewers. In addition, we extend our gratitude to the team at ASH headquarters, whose dedication has been invaluable for shaping the journal into what it is today. Importantly, we are indebted to all the authors who submitted articles to the journal. As highlighted in this end of year Editorial, we also sincerely appreciate the ASH Scholar awardees for submitting their work to the journal and are indebted to ASH for their increased support of this important program.
Conflict-of-interest disclosure: C.M.B. and A.S.W. declare no competing financial interests with the manuscripts presented.
