The Cellular Therapies Working Party aims to raise awareness of cellular therapies and support their global advancement within transfusion medicine.
Chairperson and committee
Chairperson: Reinhard Henschler (Germany)
Vice Chair: Christian Gabriel (Austria)
Treasurer: Thierry Burnouf (Taiwan)
Educational Officer: Joanne Tan (Australia)
Subcommittee chair on Platelet Lysates: Ming Li Chou (Taiwan)
Subcommittee chair on Serum eyedrops: Denese Marks (Australia)
Subcommittee chairs on Apheresis: Nina Worel (Austria); Josef Schwartz (USA); Hans Vrielink (The Netherlands)
Membership
The total number of members is 61, representing 18 countries. We recruited 15 new members; three departed and one deceased.
Meetings
Three-monthly online meetings were held within the steering group. Strategic meetings with the steering committee were held in Amsterdam in April 2025 and in February 2026, both including an online member consultation. The WP annual business meeting was held during ISBT Congress in Milan.
- A Steering Committee meeting was held at ISBT Central Office in Amsterdam in April 2025 in hybrid format. Key topics discussed were the Working Party´s annual work plan and the coordination the subgroups´ activities. Key topics discussed were the survey on use of platelet lysate, the design and organisation of a workshop focusing on pediatric apheresis by the apheresis subgroup, and a new initiative for quarterly educational webinars given by under 40s and addressing a broad range of specialists in the apheresis and cell therapy field. The annual wok plan was decided.
- The WP´s annual business meeting was held as a virtual meeting in Milan at the 35th Regional Congress of the Society. Key topics were presentation of the platelet lysate survey, the discussion of whether the planned Serum Eye Drop survey could be merged with a national initiative from Germany focusing on European Substances of Human Origin (SOHO) regulations. The apheresis subgroup brought on a discussion on technical bases for competent authority inspections. Cooperation with the Stem Cell Evidence Library was decided.
- A hybrid Steering Committee meeting was held in Amsterdam in February 2026. It was decided to organize a Serum Eye Drops scientific meeting in 2027. Katharina Schallmoser stepped down as chair of the Human Platelet Lysate Subgroup and was thanked for her leadership and scientific contributions. Ming Li Chou became the new chair and introduced an initiative on extracellular vesicles. The apheresis subgroup will support international apheresis training programs and co‑organize sessions for the 2028 World Apheresis Association Congress. Final preparations were made for the ISBT‑sponsored workshop at the European Society of Apheresis Congress in Prague in April 2026. A new strategic workplan for the Working Party was adopted.
Activities during the period
- Major Projects and Initiatives
- A main initiative has been Collaboration with the Transfusion Evidence Library. This was formally started in 2025 by the participation of WP members in the generation of Transfusion evidence round-up communications. So far, participation in the Childhood Cancer Day round up and podcast has been posted in February 2026 and a further contribution covers the 2026 Thalassaemia Day round up.
- The HPL subgroup has set out to develop an international guidance specifically addressing allogeneic platelet-derived extracellular vesicles (p-EVs) under the auspices of ISBT.
- Collaboration and Partnerships
- We collaborate tightly with the Worldwide network for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (WBMT). Dr. Mickey Koh was elected President of WBMT in February 2026. Nina Worel was elected vice-president and Reinhard Henschler was appointed as representative of ISBT to the WBMT.
- The WP is working together with the Clinical Transfusion Working Party with regard to apheresis topics. A collaboration with the Transfusion Evidence was started and included participation in the Childhood Cancer Day round up and podcast in February 2026; a further contribution has been started for the 2026 Thalassaemia Day round up.
- Education and Outreach:
- Quarterly webinars featuring two speakers in training were established. The first webinar, held on 9 September 2025, covered replacement fluids in Clinical Apheresis and was co‑organized with the Clinical Transfusion Working Party. The second webinar, held on 5 March 2026, focused on CAR T‑cell manufacture and quality control.
- Training / Workshops / Events
- A one-day ISBT-sponsored workshop was organized by the apheresis subgroup at the European Society of Apheresis Congress on April 10, 2026 in Prague, Czech Republic. The workshop focussed on pediatric apheresis.
- The Working Party contributed to the organization of Cellular Therapies Sessions during the 2025 ISBT Regional Congress in Milan, and several members contributed to abstract reviewing.
- Other Activities:
- New member recruitment now focuses on engaging young non‑ISBT speakers, encouraging them to network within the Working Party, present at ISBT congresses, and consider joining the society.
Challenges and Opportunities
The WP is challenged by the task to fill educational gaps on cellular therapies within the ISBT membership. The second continuous challenge ist he realization of workshops bringing together experts and stakeholders of all three subgroup topics (apheresis, human platelet lysate, serum eye drops) has been reached. The development of an own research profile has started. Developing practice guidelines for the three subgroup topics is a major challenge but also a key opportunity for the coming years.
Summary
The Cellular Therapies Working Party has established two major new activities over the past 12 months to attract participation and spur career development of young professionals: (i) the quarterly educational webinar series and (ii) the cooperation with the Transfusion Evidence Library. The development of practice guidelines is in the focus of all three subgroups: apheresis, human platelet lysate, and serum eye drops.
