Dear EBMT Members, Friends and Colleagues,
I hope you had a relaxing summer holiday with your loved ones; a bit of a break is always essential.
This month marks the first anniversary of the EBMT Registry! We are deeply grateful for your invaluable contributions and patience as we continue to develop and enhance the system. While some challenges remain, we are proud of the significant progress made over the past year and are committed to further improving the Registry in the future. In recent weeks, several new features have been added to the EBMT Registry, and the user manual has been updated accordingly. Additionally, we have implemented security enhancements to the MicroStrategy analysis tool to optimise both user experience and system performance, and we have also launched two new reports. Stay tuned for more updates and enhancements in the coming weeks!
Special thanks go out to all centres for their continued efforts in registering and updating their data for the Benchmarking 2024 report. The data is now being exported for analysis and report preparation. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to us at benchmarking@ebmt.org.
In addition, thanks to the dedicated efforts of the EBMT centres in reporting CAR T-cell data, exciting news is on the horizon. The number of patients treated with CAR T-cells in the EBMT Registry continues to grow, reflecting the expanding reach and impact of this innovative therapy. Learn more about this initiative here: CAR-T Data Collection Initiative.
As we transition into autumn, our calendar is packed with educational events. The season kicks off with the 9th International Transplant and Cellular Therapy Course (ITCCT) in Barcelona on 6 September. We hope it will be as successful as previous editions; although the COVID-19 pandemic has changed our lives, it has not diminished interest in this course, which has become a cornerstone of the EBMT educational portfolio. Check out our full list of upcoming events here: EBMT Events.
Last April, we introduced the EBMT Educational Library, a comprehensive resource hub for open-access materials. You can explore our ever-growing collection of recommended publications, guidelines, manuals, and recordings of key educational events. The EBMT Educational Library will be regularly updated with the latest educational resources. Additionally, the Library offers practice recommendations from the EBMT Practice Harmonisation and Guidelines Committee, with insights from the first annual workshops held in September 2023.
This year has been particularly special for the EBMT as we proudly celebrated our 50th Anniversary, marking five decades of transformative advances in HCT and CT. More than 5,000 healthcare professionals gathered at the Scottish Event Campus in Glasgow from 14-17 April 2024 for this milestone event. This anniversary was more than just a celebration; it was an invitation to connect, collaborate, and contribute to the future of our specialty. Throughout the Annual Meeting in Glasgow and the year, the EBMT has hosted a series of commemorative events, including a lecture by Eliane Gluckman at the opening ceremony, special sessions, publications, and an anniversary video highlighting key achievements and future directions in blood and marrow transplantation. I encourage you to explore our latest publication in Bone Marrow Transplantation and visit our special anniversary website: 50 Years of EBMT.
Looking ahead, our theme for the next Annual Meeting is "Shaping the Future of HCT and CT." Attending the 51st Annual Meeting of the EBMT in March 2025 will provide an opportunity to engage with cutting-edge scientific content related to transplantation and cellular therapy, and to network with thousands of top healthcare professionals from around the world. Preparations are well underway. The EBMT Scientific Council, together with the Local Organising Committee, has designed an outstanding programme that will address key issues in HCT and CT research. Registration and abstract submission will open soon, but in the meantime, you can preview the scientific programme and visit our website here: Annual Meeting 2025.
Welcome back from your summer break, and we look forward to seeing you soon—whether at the ITC-CT Course in Barcelona in a few days or at one of our upcoming educational courses!
Anna Sureda
EBMT President