Novel aspects of the MLL website in the area “Diagnostic Offer”

The “Diagnostic Offer” page on the website of the Munich Leukemia Laboratory describes, among other things, the detailed diagnostics, classifications, and prognosis of hematological diseases. The website has been updated over the past few months. A number of new hematological entities have been added. And as part of a further internationalization drive for our company, all pages are now also available in English. Highest scientific standards and interdisciplinary cooperation are resulting in an ever expanding range of services offered by the Munich Leukemia Laboratory. The MLL team, consisting of experienced doctors, biologists, bioinformaticians, and medical-technical assistants, is working intensively on further optimizing the diagnosis of hematological diseases, thereby enabling more targeted and more efficient therapies for the patient quicker than ever.

The website also strives to fulfill these demands by providing extensive information. For example, you can find detailed and up-to-date articles on a variety of hematological diseases and their classifications there. The diagnostic possibilities of cytomorphology and immunophenotyping to define the phenotype as well as chromosome analysis, fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), and molecular genetics are described for each hematological entity. Molecular genetics in particular is leading us to new insights into the pathogenesis of hematological diseases. This directly impacts on therapeutic decisions, therapy management, and ultimately the prognosis for the patient.

Over the past few weeks, a number of new entities have been added to the website. These include, for example, mastocytosis, a heterogeneous disease which back in 2017 formed its own separate chapter in the new WHO classification. Since May 2020, the website of the Munich Leukemia Laboratory has been offering all the relevant information regarding mastocytosis diagnostics.

There is also a new, detailed information sheet relating to “clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential” (CHIP) in cardiovascular diseases. Over the last few years, it has been revealed that mutations in genes influencing epigenetic regulation are also found in hematologically healthy people of an advanced age. These individuals seem to have a higher risk of developing not only hematological, but also cardiac diseases. The detection of certain somatic mutations is associated with an increased rate of atherosclerosis, aortic valve stenosis, and heart failure. However, no evidence-based recommendations or therapies exist for specifically lowering the CHIP-associated cardiovascular risk.

The internationalization of the company also remains a main focus of our activities. The entire website of the MLL is offered not only in German, but also in English. Diseases, of course, do not respect national boundaries. For this reason it is only logical to provide the expertise and diagnostic possibilities of the Munich Leukemia Laboratory across national boundaries. The aim is to better meet the needs of international submitters and partners alike, and to make the expertise of the Munich Leukemia Laboratory much more accessible to them.