The Centre for Blood Transplant and Cell Therapies (CBTCT) brings together the largest allogeneic stem cell transplant units in Australia with a focus on identifying transplant and cell therapy strategies to reduce graft versus host disease and improve patient and disease outcomes after transplant. In this webinar series, investigators from the CBTCT will review major topics in stem cell transplantation and cell therapy, highlighting how the activities of the CBTCT are addressing current challenges in stem cell transplantation. The fifth webinar in this series features two excellent speakers, with Dr Kate Markey highlighting the emerging significance of the microbiome in influencing outcomes following blood and marrow transplantation, followed by Elissa Atkins who will review the practical aspects of the regulatory requirements for the monitoring of recipients of immune effector cell therapy products.

Speakers:

Dr Kate Markey – Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Centre / Weill Cornell Medical College

Elissa Atkins – Westmead Hospital / Westmead Institute for Medical Research

When: Thursday 1 October 2020, 8am AEST

Link to webinar:

Link to CBTCT website for all webinar recordings:

PDF flyer

Dear Colleagues                       

As you are aware, on 13 March 2020 the Australian Government listed a range of temporary items for specialist specific telehealth services (video and/or phone attendances) in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.  Based on stakeholder advice, over 80 specialist specific items were listed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.  These temporary items were due to cease on 30 September 2020.

The Government has agreed to extend the COVID-19 specialist telehealth items in their current form, from 30 September 2020 to 31 March 2021, this extension period is based on advice from the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee (AHPPC). Further information about the extension is available online at:  www.pm.gov.au/media/24-billion-health-plan-fight-covid-19

The Department will continue to monitor the impacts of COVID-19, and should the AHPPC recommend a further extension of the current items beyond 31 March 2021, this matter will be brought back to Government for consideration.

If you have any questions about the extension please email 

Mary Warner 

Director

Medical Specialist Services Section

MBS Policy & Specialist Services Branch | Medical Benefits Division

Australian Government Department of Health

MDP 959, GPO Box 9848, Canberra ACT 2601

The Centre for Blood Transplant and Cell Therapies (CBTCT) brings together the largest allogeneic stem cell transplant units in Australia with a focus on identifying transplant and cell therapy strategies to reduce graft versus host disease and improve patient and disease outcomes after transplant. In this webinar series, investigators from the CBTCT will review major topics in stem cell transplantation and cell therapy, highlighting how the activities of the CBTCT are addressing current challenges in stem cell transplantation. The fourth webinar of this series addresses developments in the field of cellular therapy in the management of two common post-allogeneic bone marrow transplant complications. Professor David Gottlieb will highlight the role of cell therapies in the treatment of opportunistic infections in the post-transplant period, while Dr Siok Tey will review novel cellular therapies for the treatment of graft vs host disease

Speakers:

Professor David Gottlieb – Westmead Hospital / University of Sydney

Dr Siok Tey - Royal Brisbane and Womens Hospital / QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute

When: Thursday 3 September 2020, 8am AEST

Link to webinar

Link to CBTCT website for all webinar recordings

For more information

Call for HSANZ Members to submit original research abstracts for the Baikie Symposium. HSANZ day of the ALLG Scientific Meeting, Tuesday 13 October, 2020. 

• Unfortunately, Blood2020 has been postponed in view of the travel restrictions associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. 

  To ensure that we can continue offer our fellow Haematologists and trainees the best opportunity to access the latest local and international research, HSANZ are delighted to be partnering with ALLG to offer a one-day session on 13 October 2020. 

  In particular, we will offer the 2020 Baikie symposium and award for the best research by a HSANZ  Full, Trainee or Associate member. HSANZ encourages  members to submit an abstract for an oral presentation. The Committee seeks original papers that address scientific questions, demonstrate new research / developments or contain original scientific results related to haematology. 

  All abstract submissions must be sent in a Word document to admin@hsanz.org.au.  The submission deadline is 11.59pm Sunday 20 September 2020 AEST. Acceptance of Abstracts will be confirmed by email in late September. Unfortunately, due to the tight deadline, we cannot consider any extensions of the deadline this year.

  The Baikie Award will be made for the best Abstract presented by a trainee. Criteria

  Eligibility:

• Must be a financial Member of HSANZ
• All author(s) must approve of submitting this work for presentation, and the submitting author needs to be available to present the abstract if selected for the program. Authors need to notify the HSANZ Secretariat if they are unable to present or if the presenting author is changed. The presentation will be using a virtual platform.
• Abstract titles should be short, descriptive and not contain abbreviations. Abstracts should be thoroughly checked for spelling and grammar before they are submitted online.
• Abstracts can contain standard abbreviations (spelled out on first use), tables, pictures and diagrams, but should not include symbols (e.g. arrows, Greek symbols) nor languages other than English. 
• The abstracts should be original work, not previously published
• Only ONE abstract is to be nominated by each applicant
• Previous winners of the award are ineligible 

Abstract Submission Guidelines:

-       The abstract must address scientific questions, detail clinical observations, or contain primary scientific data.

-       Your name, degree, institution, address, phone number, and e-mail address must be provided. 

-       The corresponding author should be the first author (presenter) of the abstract, unless otherwise noted during submission.

The Centre for Blood Transplant and Cell Therapies (CBTCT) brings together the largest allogeneic stem cell transplant units in Australia with a focus on identifying transplant and cell therapy strategies to reduce graft versus host disease and improve patient and disease outcomes after transplant. In this webinar series, investigators from the CBTCT will review major topics in stem cell transplantation and cell therapy, highlighting how the activities of the CBTCT are addressing current challenges in stem cell transplantation. In the third seminar of this series, Professor James Ferrara will outline research highlighting biomarkers in graft vs host disease and the role of the MAGIC Consortium, while Dr Siok Tey will review novel cellular therapies for the treatment of graft vs host disease.

Speakers:

Professor James Ferrara - Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mt Sinai

Dr Siok Tey - Royal Brisbane and Womens Hospital / QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute

When: Thursday 3 September 2020, 8am AEST

Link to webinar: https://uni-sydney.zoom.us/j/92998014030

Link to CBTCT website for all webinar recordings:

https://bloodcelltherapy.org.au/

For the PDF flyer, click here

The Centre for Blood Transplant and Cell Therapies (CBTCT) brings together the largest allogeneic stem cell transplant units in Australia with a focus on identifying transplant and cell therapy strategies to reduce graft versus host disease and improve patient and disease outcomes after transplant. In this webinar series, investigators from the CBTCT will review major topics in stem cell transplantation and cell therapy, highlighting how the activities of the CBTCT are addressing current challenges in stem cell transplantation. Following on in this series, Professor David Curtis from the Alfred Hospital in Melbourne will review the role of post-transplant cyclophosphamide for the prevention of graft versus host disease following allogeneic blood transplant. Mr Mingdi Xie, who is the current MAGIC Australia Project coordinator for the CBTCT, will then present an introduction to the MAGIC consortium, including its functions and importance in allogeneic blood transplant research

Speakers:

Professor David Curtis – The Alfred Hospital and Monash University

Mr Mingdi Xie – The Royal Melbourne Hospital and Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre

When: Thursday 20 August 2020, 8am AEST

For more information and the link to the webinar click here

Website: bloodcelltherapy.org.au 

The Department of Health will be hosting an Introduction to Medical Services Advisory Committee (MSAC) Webinar on

Thursday 27 August 2020
3-4pm AEST

This webinar aims to provide basic information on the role of MSAC.

Please register here: Introduction to MSAC Webinar Registration

MSAC website
HTA website
Email

You are invited to the Myeloma and Related Diseases Registry webinar

- this is a free double event as it forms part of the National Myeloma Workshop (NMW) this year. 

Please join MRDR for an update on registry progress, projects and Q&A.
Date: Saturday, 5 September
Time: 4:00 – 5:00 pm AEST – NMW sessions stream through to the MRDR webinar
You need to register for this dual free event: MRDR webinar and NMW, at  https://www.trybooking.com/BKMLT 

For full details of the NMW go here

MPN Alliance Australia established a website in 2018 for MPN patients and their families. 

They work in partnership with the Leukaemia Foundation and aim to provide high quality, evidence-based MPN information.

They have invited us to raise awareness amongst haematologists of their website and patient treatment information available for download in PDF in English and Arabic.
Please see attached letter.