ABSTRACT
The 33rd International Congress of the ISBT was held in conjunction with the 33rd Congress of the Korean Society of Blood Transfusion (KSBT) and the 2014 Congress of the Korean Hematology Societies in Seoul. The idea to host an ISBT congress came to birth among KSBT members whilst attending the 18th Regional ISBT Congress held in Hanoi in 2007. Finally after 4 years, this idea became reality when Seoul was awarded to host the 2014 International Congress. After a short period of excitement, we soon had to realize that organising an international congress is a huge challenge with tremendous work involved! During the 3 years of preparation the ISBT headquarters and the local organising committee had several meetings that were not easy. But at the end, our concentrated and energetic discussions turned out to be most productive and made this congress a huge success. Highest appreciation again for their marvelous support goes to Peter Flanagan, ISBT President, and Judith Chapman, ISBT Executive Director. During the Korean day, three parallel sessions were held, attracting not only participants from the field of transfusion medicine but also many clinicians working in the field of hematology and transplantation. Martin Olsson, ISBT Scientific Secretary, and the local scientific committee did a great job in preparing an excellent scientific program that not only dealt with traditional topics of transfusion medicine but also hot topics like cellular therapy and clinical aspects of transfusion medicine. A total of 55 sessions were run in five tracks dealing with immunobiology of blood cells, blood safety, clinical aspects, donors & donation, and cellular therapies. 758 abstracts from 68 countries were submitted, among which 93 high quality abstracts were chosen for oral presentations and 603 for poster presentations. With 77 esteemed invited speakers presenting their cutting-edge research, all sessions were well attended and followed by lively discussions between speakers and the audience. Industry was also well presented and participants had the opportunity to exchange their experiences and take home information about the latest developments provided by the 74 exhibitors. But a congress isn't only about science! The opening ceremony started with the traditional presentation of the talking stick to the Congress President, Prof. Kyou-Sup Han. Afterwards, participants enjoyed the serenity and the flowing movements of Seoungmu, the Buddhist monk's dance, and Pungmulnori, a Korean folk music and dance tradition. All participants were greeted with a taste of Korean cuisine at the welcome reception. During the Speakers Dinner, guests had the chance to learn about the history of Korea and the Korean alphabet. The congress party, however, was the highlight of the social events. Since the congress took place in the middle of Gangnam, the southern part of Seoul, it was a must for everybody to learn dancing "Gangnam Style". Participants were invited onto stage to compete for the best dancer award and soon the stage was filled with joyously dancing participants and within seconds the party hall turned into a twilight zone. The party is over. It is time now to prepare calmly for the next stage. Hopefully ISBT Seoul 2014 will serve as a starting point to motivate many researchers working in the field of transfusion medicine and blood program to become more engaged at an international level.
Subject(s)
Humans , Awards and Prizes , Blood Cells , Blood Safety , Blood Transfusion , Dancing , Hematology , Korea , Meals , Music , Parturition , Seoul , Tissue Donors , Transfusion MedicineABSTRACT
El desarrollo de la Medicina Transfusional en el Instituto de Hematología e Inmunología en los últimos 15 años, se ha caracterizado por el logro de resultados relevantes en aspectos metodológicos, técnico-investigativos y de desarrollo de los recursos humanos, como son: la actualización y distribución de procederes para bancos de sangre, servicios de transfusiones y de guías clínicas para el uso de los componentes de la sangre en todo el país; la implementación del sistema de gestión de la calidad y automatización en los bancos de sangre; la introducción de técnicas moleculares para el pesquisaje viral de donantes de sangre; la introducción de anticuerpos monoclonales hemoclasificadores de producción nacional; el desarrollo de investigaciones multicéntricas sobre aspectos socioculturales relacionados con la donación de sangre y el pesquisaje de agentes infecciosos en pacientes politransfundidos; la obtención y procesamiento de células madre hematopoyéticas de sangre periférica para trasplante y medicina regenerativa, así como el desarrollo de la hemovigilancia. Las proyecciones de trabajo deberán estar encaminadas a la creación de un banco de células progenitoras de cordón umbilical para uso clínico, la obtención y producción nacional de concentrados de factores de la coagulación para uso terapéutico y el desarrollo de un programa nacional de hemovigilancia
The development of the Transfusion Medicine in the Institute of Hematology and Immunology in past 15 years, has been characterized by the achievement of relevant results in the methodological, technical-research and of the development or human resources features including: the updating and distribution of procedures for the blood banks; transfusion services and of clinical guidances for the use of blood components in all the country; the implementation of the quality management system and the blood banks automation, the introduction of molecular techniques for the viral screening of blood donors; the introduction of hemoclassifying monoclonal antibodies of national production, the development of multicenter researches on the sociocultural features related to blood donation and the screening of infectious agents in poly-transfused patients; the obtaining and processing of hematopoietic stem cells of peripheral blood for transplantation and regenerative medicine, as well as the development of the hemo-surveillance. The work projections must to be aimed to creation of a bank of progenitor cells from the umbilical cord to clinical use, the achievement and national production of coagulation factor concentrates to therapeutic use, and the development of a national program of hemo-surveillance