Regional
The 72nd Annual Congress of the Japan Society of Transfusion Medicine and Cell Therapy (JSTMCT)
The 72nd Annual Congress of the Japan Society of Transfusion Medicine and Cell Therapy (JSTMCT) was held in Shinjuku, surrounded by skyscrapers in Tokyo from May 30 to June 1, 2024.
This historic society has made significant contributions in elucidating the mechanisms of post-transfusion GVHD, analyzing risk factors for ABO-incompatible transfusions, and establishing guidelines for promoting appropriate transfusion including autologous blood transfusion.
The poster session
The theme of this congress was “Promoting Team Medicine in Transfusion and Cell Therapy. We believe that the Society's promotion of even higher goals for team medicine will provide a clue to innovative transfusion and cell therapy.
The congress was attended by 3,548 participants, including physicians, laboratory technicians, nurses, and a variety of other professions. It is notable that the diverse participants engaged in intense discussions on a wide range of topics from routine transfusion therapy to state-of-the-art cellular therapies. In addition, our society has its own certification system, which is characterized by its extensive educational programs for various professions.
The special lecture
For international academic interactions, prominent researchers from France, the U.S., Korea, and Taiwan were invited to give special lectures and international sessions. Pierre Tiberghien gave a lecture on hemovigilance program and patient blood management encompassing the appropriate use of blood components in Europe. Saifee Nabiha Huq shared her expertise on a unique role of Transfusion Safety Officers in the healthcare team acting as a vital bridge between diverse stakeholders to enhance transfusion safety.
Jungwon Hyun (Korea), Lin Hsin Chung (Taiwan) and Hidefumi Kato (Japan) discussed at an international session on hemovigilance in Asia. Hemovigilance in each country has been active for more than 10 years.
The session of hemovigilance in Asia
In addition, participants were able to exchange useful information on initiatives efforts to improve patient safety and transfusion effectiveness.
Another important aspect of the conference was the many sessions devoted to matters of global challenge regarding transfusion and cellular therapies. Participants showed particular interest in the following programs: Trends in the development of new blood products for cases of massive bleeding in the field of trauma, Strategies to promote appropriate blood transfusion, and New developments in regenerative medicine, including CAR-T cell therapy.
Furthermore, educational lectures shared with participants the latest research findings on the management of acquired von Willebrand syndrome during ECMO therapy, mechanisms of blood group antigen depletion in myelodysplastic syndromes, and organ preservation using artificial red blood cells. The Murakami Memorial Prize, JSTMCT's most distinguished award, was presented to former Professor Koki Takahashi, who gave a lecture titled “Key Issues and Measures in Blood Transfusion Medicine-My Progress Since the 1980s.
The invited lecture by Pierre Tiberghien
