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, speakers will review major topics in stem cell transplantation and cell therapy, highlighting how key advances are addressing the current challenges in stem cell transplantation. The ninth webinar in this series features Professor Catherine Bollard, who is the current Program Director for Cell Enhancement and Technologies at the Children’s National Hospital and Professor of Pediatrics and Microbiology, Immunology and Tropical Medicine at the George Washington University. Her bench and translational research has focused on improving post-transplant outcomes through developing novel cellular therapeutics, leading to over 200 peer reviewed publications. In this webinar, Professor Bollard will be outlining the role of virus-specific T cell therapies following transplantation as well as their potential applications for treating COVID-19.

Speaker:

Professor Catherine Bollard – Children’s National Hospital and George Washington University

 When: Monday 27 September 2021, 8am AEST

 Link to webinar:

Link to CBTCT website for all webinar recordings:

For more information click here

Each year in September, around the world, it is Blood Cancer Awareness Month.  A time to focus our attention on blood cancers, to raise awareness of their impact and to advocate for the acceleration of treatments and cures.  This September, Snowdome is beginning the month with our educational Blood, Sweat and Tears of Joy event.  Once again, we will be going virtual and our 2021 webinar will focus on the developments being made with chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR T-cell) therapy and the role clinical trials can play in the treatment journey.  Join us as we provide you with an opportunity to learn from a driven blood cancer clinical researcher and hear first-hand from three inspiring blood cancer patients. 

Hosted by Snowdome’s own and HSANZ Member Professor Miles Prince AM, he will be joined on the panel by:

• Dr Sam Fiorenza, HSANZ Member, haematologist and post-doctoral research fellow discussing advances in CAR T-cell therapy; 
• Ms Deborah Sims, patient advocate with experience of clinical trials including CAR T-cell therapy for her CLL;
• Mr Barry Du Bois, TV personality living with myeloma and curious about new treatments, in particular, CAR T-cell therapy for myeloma; and
• Mrs Janet Gregory, experiencing life with non-Hodgkin T-cell Lymphoma and the role of clinical trials.
• Date:                     Wednesday 1 September 2021

  Time:                    6:00pm – 7:30pm

  Location:             Online via zoom

  RSVP:                    Register here

  Zoom details will be sent to you upon registration.

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, speakers will review major topics in stem cell transplantation and cell therapy, highlighting how key advances are addressing the current challenges in stem cell transplantation. This webinar is presented by A/Prof Damian Green from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Centre, where he leads the translational myeloma research program. A/Prof Green is the Deputy Director for Myeloma of the Seattle Translational Research program with the Department of Medicine at the University of Washington, where his research focuses on the development of novel immunotherapy-based approaches to treat multiple myeloma and other B cell malignancies. In this webinar, A/Prof Green will outline recent advances in immunotherapy for multiple myeloma.

Speaker:

Associate Professor Damian Green – Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Centre and the University of Washington

 When: Monday 23 August 2021, 12pm AEST

 Link to webinar:

For more information click here

ANZSBT invite you to a webinar with Ms Nicole Zacher (Chair, ANZSBT Transfusion Science Standing Committee) and Dr Giselle Kidson-Gerber (Haematologist, Prince of Wales Hospital and HOW Collaborative) who will discuss the soon to be released ANZSBT Guidelines for Laboratory Estimation of Fetomaternal Haemorrhage. 

They will highlight key differences between the old and new Guidelines and discuss some of the controversies and challenges faced as they set about updating the Guideline. 

Also, Prof Helen Liley (Neonatologist, Mater Mother’s Hospital) will present an update on the recently released Guideline for the Prophylactic Use of RhD Immunoglobulin in Pregnancy Care on behalf of the National Blood Authority.

DATE:             27 AUGUST 2021

TIME:             1:00 TO 2:00 PM AEST

TO REGISTER:         

Please click on this link:

Brochure information

The escalating COVID-19 crisis in Sydney and many other parts of Australia is a major challenge to many of our members, and also to patients with blood disorders located in these jurisdictions. We recognise the difficult challenges faced, and also the extraordinary efforts by many who continue to provide care for patients during this crisis. You are in our thoughts and we hope things improve soon. Please take care of yourselves, your loved ones and your colleagues. 

Leanne Berkahn, Steve Lane and Valerie Orton, on behalf of the HSANZ Council.

HSANZ has been invited by RACP to nominate members for College medals and awards.

To acknowledge the outstanding achievements of our members, the College grants several medals and awards. These awards provide an opportunity for the College and its membership to recognise and celebrate the accomplishments of members as well as to promote their successes to inspire others.

These awards are usually presented annually at the College’s Convocation Ceremony immediately prior to the College’s Congress and include:

·       The John Sands Medal

·       The College Medal

·       The RACP Mentor of the Year Award

·       The RACP Trainee of the Year Award

·       The RACP International Medal, and

·       The RACP Medal for Clinical Service in Rural and Remote Areas

A flyer is attached and full details are on the RACP Foundation website 

  Applications close on 14 September 2021.

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, speakers will review major topics in stem cell transplantation and cell therapy, highlighting how key advances are addressing the current challenges in stem cell transplantation. The sixth webinar of the series features Professor Charles Craddock who is the Director of the Centre of the Centre for Clinical Haematology at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital and the recent president of the British Society of Blood and Marrow Transplantation. In this webinar, Professor Craddock will be highlighting the approaches to optimising outcomes for patients following allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplantation for acute myeloid leukaemia

 Speaker:

Professor Charles Craddock – Queen Elizabeth Hospital and University of Birmingham

 When: Monday 26 July 2021, 5pm AEST

 Link to webinar:

 Link to CBTCT website for all webinar recordings:

For more information click here

A free education (CPD) program is available for members developed by MOGA and  Medscape on New Treatment for Options for Cancer Associated Thrombosis

Click here for Postcard

Details here

Another publication by Karthik Nath in blood advances

Intratumoral T cells have a differential impact on FDG-PET parameters in follicular lymphoma

Data on the prognostic impact of pretherapy 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose–positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) in follicular lymphoma (FL) is conflicting. The predictive utility of pretherapy total metabolic tumor volume (TMTV) and maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) on outcome appears to vary between regimens. Chemoimmunotherapies vary in the extent of T-cell depletion they induce. The role of intratumoral T cells on pretherapy FDG-PET parameters is undefined. We assessed pretherapy FDG-PET parameters and quantified intratumoral T cells by multiple methodologies. Low intratumoral T cells associated with approximately sixfold higher TMTV, and FL nodes from patients with high TMTV showed increased malignant B-cell infiltration and fewer clonally expanded intratumoral CD81 and CD41 T-follicular helper cells than those with low TMTV. However, fluorescently labeled glucose uptake was higher in CD41 and CD81 T cells than intratumoral B cells. In patients with FDG-PET performed prior to excisional biopsy, SUVmax within the subsequently excised node associated with T cells but not B cells. In summary, TMTV best reflects the malignant B-cell burden in FL, whereas intratumoral T cells influence SUVmax. This may contribute to the contradictory results between the prognostic role of different FDG-PET parameters, particularly between short- and long-term T-cell–depleting chemoimmunotherapeutic regimens. The impact of glucose uptake in intratumoral T cells should be considered when interpreting pretherapy FDG-PET in FL.

For the full paper click here