Academy
ISBT Academy Day on rare blood donors at the 13th GCIAMT Congress in Asunción, Paraguay
Silvina Laura Kuperman
Hospital Garrahan’s Blood, Cord Blood, and Tissue Banks in Buenos Aires, Argentina
Eduardo Muñiz Díaz
Senior Consultant in Transfusion Medicine. Barcelona, Spain
Between April 23 and 26, 2025, the city of Asunción (Paraguay) hosted the 13th Congress of the Ibero-American Cooperative Group of Transfusion Medicine (GCIAMT), alongside the 4th Ibero-American Congress of Haematology, the 6th Congress of the SPHYMT, and the 1st Congress of the SPMTTC. This special edition also marked the 30th anniversary of GCIAMT’s foundation. A total of 885 participants from 21 countries engaged in a wide array of symposia and working sessions throughout the four-day event.
One of the highlights was the ISBT Academy Day, held on the third day of the congress, focusing on the theme: “Problems and Challenges in Patients with Antibodies to High-Prevalence Antigens.” The event featured a full-day program divided into three thematic sessions addressing:
- Challenges in identifying antibodies to high-prevalence antigens
- Safe transfusion practices for affected patients
- Case reports that not only posed immunohematologic challenges but also conveyed powerful human stories.
Group photo of the GCIAMT Rare Donor Working Party with Coordinator (Eduardo Muñiz-Diaz), President of GCIAMT (Jorge Curbelo) and invited speakers (Vered Yahalom and Lilian Castilho)
The session was opened by Silvina Kuperman, who emphasized the relevance of this program as a bridge between academic work and clinical practice, highlighting its role in ensuring timely and safe access to blood for patients with complex transfusion needs. She was then joined by Romi Alcaraz, President of the Local Organizing Committee, and Jorge Curbelo, President of GCIAMT (2023–2025), who also welcomed participants and expressed their support for this important initiative.
In the first session,Vered Yahalom, chair of the ISBT Working Party on Rare Donors, introduced the topic of high-prevalence antigens. She was joined by Eduardo Muñiz-Díaz, who reviewed available serologic tools for antibody identification, and Lilian Castilho, who discussed molecular tools. Sonia Gini and Myriam Colinas closed the session by sharing Paraguay’s early experience with implementing the Monocyte Monolayer Assay (MMA).
Vered Yahalom, Coordinator of the ISBT Rare Donors Working Party, invited speaker
The second session focused on strategies for donor recruitment and patient management. Paula Gaviria, Senior LT addressed the identification, promotion, and retention of rare blood donors. María Antonieta Núñez provided insight into transfusion strategies for patients and pregnant women with rare phenotypes. Vered Yahalom also presented the ISBT Working Party’s contributions toward ensuring safe transfusion practices for rare blood patients.
In the afternoon, Brazil and Spain shared their experiences in establishing national rare donor registries. Delegates from Argentina (Silvia Margineda& Carlos Cotorruelo), Chile (Dr Mª Antonieta Núñez), Colombia (Paula Gaviria, Senior LT), Mexico (Hector Baptista & Emmanuel Fernández), Panama (Igseda Valdés, LT), Paraguay (Romi Alcaraz), Peru (Carlos Penalillo & Lizette Fernández), and Uruguay (Daniela Pimentel & Fernanda Bangueses) presented the impressive progress made in their countries as part of the GCIAMT Rare Donors Registry project. These presentations — marked by passion and dedication — highlighted the creation of national working groups, phenotyping of donors using donated antisera, and the overall expansion of the registry.
Eduardo Muñiz-Díaz reported that the GCIAMT Registry currently includes 178 donors, all serologically and molecularly typed. So far, 70% of them have formally agreed to collaborate. Notably, five of the eight countries involved have established active national teams. Phenotyping using antisera donated by the ISBT Rare Donors Working Party has already identified rare donors with the following phenotypes: PP1Pk- (n= 3), Lu(b-) (n= 3), Vel- (n= 1), and Jr(a-) (n= 6), whose genotypes are now being investigated.
The final session featured three emotionally powerful case presentations by Ana Claudia Peron, Vered Yahalom and Lilian Castilho, each involving patients with rare phenotypes. These stories not only highlighted the scientific and logistical challenges faced in securing compatible blood but also reminded the audience of the profound human impact behind every clinical case.
Eduardo Muñiz-Díaz receiving an award for his continuous support of transfusion medicine in Latin America, presented by the chair of the organizing committee, Romi Alcaraz
Opening of the session with remarks by Silvina Kuperman, joined by Eduardo Muñiz Díaz, Romi Alcaraz, and Jorge Curbelo
A special moment during the event was the recognition awarded to Eduardo Muñiz-Díaz for his outstanding mentorship, long-standing career, and unwavering support of transfusion medicine professionals across the Ibero-American region. His leadership and commitment have been instrumental in the creation and development of the GCIAMT Rare Donor Registry and in fostering international collaboration.
The session was attended by approximately 150 participants, maintaining steady attendance throughout the day. Feedback collected through evaluation surveys reflected high enthusiasm and appreciation for ISBT’s support in providing an educational space dedicated to a topic still underrepresented in the region. The organizing and scientific committees, along with the authors of this report—Silvina Kuperman (Scientific Committee Chair) and Eduardo Muñiz-Díaz (Academy Day Chair)—extend their sincere thanks to ISBT for its continued support of this initiative. The support received for this project to create a GCIAMT rare donor registry demonstrates ISBT’s commitment to strengthening transfusion safety and collaboration across Latin America.
Eduardo Muñiz-Diaz (Coordinator of the GCIAMT Rare Donors Working Party, chairman of the ISBT Academy Day)
