WMDA

Thank you time:matters Life Sciences for sharing the highlights of the 14th International Donor Registry Conference and WMDA meeting in Cape Town. 50% of patients with access to WMDA's Search & Match Service find their donor in another country. We're so lucky that you understand the important of global collaboration and committed your support not only this year's IDRC, though last year's IDRC in Hanau and next year's in Quebec. Having the opportunity to network and spend more time together as a community, makes a real difference and it's definitely a highlight for all attendees. Thank you Christian Schenk, Marco Dehler, Sergio López Sánchez and Chiara Braxmaier

Anyone else woken up looking forward to a delicious vida e caffè, before realising that there is no IDRC today. We want to say a big thank you to Ontime Courier GmbH Onboard Logistics and Thilo Bürklin for being our Gold Partner and serving us with scrumptious food and delicious coffee throughout the 5 days. Ontime Courier GmbH Onboard Logistics's support means that we can squeeze every moment out of the International Donor Registry Conference and WMDA meeting to talk with colleagues from all around the world. Our sincere gratitude, thank you! #allpatientsanddonorsmatter #ontimecourier #onboardcourier #coffee #lunch #support

It's a wrap! What an amazing time we have had together over the past five days. We're letting our community have the last word..........please share your highlights and the most important lesson or piece of advice that you are taking away with you. Thank you so much for being with us and making a difference. 🧡 #allpatientsanddonorsmatter #haveyoursay #feedback #lastword #makeadifference #community #collaboration #strongertogether

Today, is the last day of the WMDA meeting. Though we still have a packed schedule: https://lnkd.in/eRnp2RRr WMDA is a non-profit organisation. Our Board, Committees and Working Groups consist of members volunteering their time. We're extremely grateful to members serving in our Board, Committees and Working Groups. Would you, or do you know a colleague who would like to join or even lead a Committee? Please nominate them today https://lnkd.in/exZaeg6T for WMDA's tomorrow! #nominations #nominate #committee #committees #Board #volunteer #voluntaring #nonprofit

We're now deep into the WMDA meetings. Workshops designed to share challenges as well as best practices, knowledge and experiences to reduce the time to transplant and improve outcomes for patients. For many of our members, their daily tasks and difficulties are unique to them. There may be no one else doing their job in their own country. However, when we come together as a global community, we can connect with more than 30 fellow professionals. The CEOs of our member registries came together this afternoon to talk about many issues, including the growing demands on registries' resources. The WMDA community really believe that a problem shared is a problem halved and that 2 heads are better than 1, and 30 heads are better than 2! #allpatientsanddonorsmatter #teamworkmakesthedreamwork #globalcollaboration #strongertogether #CEO #CEOs

WMDA’s mission is to work with our members to ensure reliable provision of life-saving cells while promoting care and safety for both patient and donor. Through the global collaboration of the WMDA community, we have developed the groundbreaking Search & Match Service. Remarkably, 50% of patients searching for a stem cell donor find their match in another country, highlighting the incredible power of international cooperation. In 2018, Ramabele from South Africa was diagnosed with leukemia. Thanks to a selfless stranger, he received a life-saving blood stem cell transplant. Last night, at the International Donor Registry Conference, Ramabele experienced an unforgettable moment as he met his donor, Pete, for the first time. Pete, a U.S. Air Force veteran and minister, registered with NMDP in 1996, and two decades later, he gave the precious gift of life to Ramabele. This heartwarming reunion, made possible thanks to NMDP, South African Bone Marrow Registry, and WMDA, beautifully illustrates the profound impact of our collaborative efforts. Global collaboration is essential as we strive for a world where every patient has access to life-saving cellular therapies, and where the rights and safety of donors are always protected. We extend our deepest gratitude to NMDP. As our event partner, their support has enabled us to gather in South Africa and share this awe-inspiring evening. A special thank you to Amy Ronneberg, Erica Jensen and Rhianna Kern for their hardwork, dedication and compassion. Thank you, NMDP, for ensuring that every patient and donor truly matters. Witnessing the life-saving difference we make for patients, whilst safeguarding donors, is an incredible privilege. This evening stands as a testament to our shared commitment to transforming lives through unity, compassion, and unwavering dedication. #allpatientsanddonorsmatter #strongertogether #nmdp #acrossborders #globalcollaboration #collaboration #makeadifference

Today, was focused on the challenges we are facing, though also the solutions that we are creating. At the Anthony Nolan breakfast, we were reminded as to how many obstacles we've circumvented and barriers we've knocked down. We gained insight into the difficulties faced by Low-Middle Income and Low-Income Countries. Faten Moftah, Africa Society for Blood Transfusion (AfSBT)'s President presented on the challenges associated with Sickle Cell Disease. Efstratios (Stratos) Chatzixiros, World Health Organization spoke on Global Convergence in Transplantation: Sufficiency, Transparency, and Oversight. Advancements in technology mean that more solutions are becoming available. Paul Airey took us deeper into AI and the implications and opportunities for healthcare and the WMDA community in the future. Another advancement is Cryopreservation and Cryopreserved Products. Alexander Platz shared with us more about DKMS Stem Cell Bank’s Living Donor Derived Cryopreserved Units and Kevin Caldwell of Ossium Health Deceased Donor Derived Cryopreserved Units, two new stem cell sources. The past three days have been very insightful and inspirational. As we close the IDRC aspect, we move into the workshops and discussions of the WMDA meeting. Though the inspiration doesn’t stop yet, tonight thanks to the support of NMDP, we will be celebrating every patient and every donor. We can’t wait. #allpatientsanddonorsmatter #cryopreservation #stemcells #technology #advancements #WHO #sicklecelldisease #SCD #africa

Last night, our community celebrated 50 years of hope with Anthony Nolan. This morning, Anthony Nolan is hosting a special Anthony Nolan Breakfast. Research has been Anthony Nolan’s strength from the very start when Shirley Nolan took the ground-breaking step of establishing the world’s first bone marrow donor register. In the 50 years since, incredible progress has been made but now is the time to push this pioneering spirit even further.  If we are to unlock new ways to treat every patient, then research is the key.     Join Chief Executive, Henny Braund MBE, and Chief Medical and Scientific Officer, Dr Robert Danby, this morning in Hall A to hear more about the charity’s ambitious research plans to transform patient survival, quality of life, and equity. The session will focus on:   ·      Strengthening and expanding Anthony Nolan’s research portfolio, increasing the breadth and type of research to reflect the whole patient and donor journey.  ·      Developing infrastructure and collaborating with patients, donors, research groups, clinical trial networks, and biotech developers to widen the impact of research.   ·      Inspiring and investing in future researchers through education and training.    Come along to find out how you can get involved to deliver against shared goals – and join Anthony Nolan in transforming the future for more patients.  #allpatientsanddonorsmatter #50yearsofhope #breakfast #conference #research

No donor, no cure was the focus of the IDRC today. We were welcomed by Charlotte Ingram and Matthew Seftel and honoured to hear from Geordin Hill-Lewis, Mayor at City of Cape Town and Heather Stefanski. Later in the morning, Heather focused on all patients and donors, as she took us through Safety and Ethical Challenges. WMDA does not only operate the global database of volunteer donors, though to achieve access to life-saving cellular therapies for all patients, we protect donors’ rights and safety. During the opening session of the IDRC, Salmah Mahmood Ahmed shed light on the role of WMDA in the advancing field of cell and gene therapies. Bambi Grilley, RPh, CIP, CCRC, CCRP, RAC, ISCT, International Society for Cell & Gene Therapy Chief Regulatory Officer, Carla Kreissig, Cellex Cell Professionals and David Brittain, joined the stage to discuss the global perspective on using donor cells for CGT and the challenges faced from their perspective to get equitable access to affordable treatment with starting material from donors whose wellbeing is protected.  Though as we sit here in Africa, we are acutely aware of health inequality. How do we ensure that patients in Africa gain access to advanced therapies, whilst access to a stem cell transplant developed 68 years ago is still not available for all patients? This will be at the forefront of our minds as we come together as committees and working groups to propose solutions in the following days. Later in the morning, Andrew McDonald took us into the difficulties in finding a donor and Steven Devine delved further into Selection and Transplantation of Mismatched Unrelated Donors, which holds the potential to erase the gap in donor availability. After lunch, we stepped in the shoes of a heroine in our community, Shirley Nolan. Reading a newspaper article, Shirley had seen how Simon Bostic had been cured by a bone marrow transplant. A bone marrow transplant offered a cure for her son, Anthony, though only if a donor could be found. 50 years ago, Shirley Nolan established Anthony Nolan to help patients find a cure. We questioned, how would Shirley Nolan recruit today? Torben Boelk and Kate Levy explored the drivers and barriers to register a donor and Ann O'Leary took us on an historical journey of donor recruitment. The stage was handed over to our abstract presenters, providing insight into donor selection and donor recruitment. Henny Braund MBE then introduced the Shirley Nolan Lecturer, Nezih Cereb. Nezih was awarded the Shirley Nolan Lecture for his commitment to equality and increasing access for patients. The learning continues with the Anthony Nolan Poster Evening. 58 abstracts submissions were received, from many different countries, so we are looking forward to a wonderful and educational evening together. #allpatientsanddonorsmatter #cgt #cellandgenetherapy #cellulartherapy #advancedtherapies #patients #donors #cure #accesstohealthcare

For WMDA, today was a tale of two cities: Cape Town and Leiden. In Cape Town, during the 14th International Donor Registry Conference, WMDA's Alicia Venter presented on Searching for the Most Suitable Matched Donor for your Patient: WMDA’s Search & Match Service. Rachel Pawson shared biovigilance lessons learnt from WMDA's Serious Adverse Event and Reaction Reports. The day closed with Professor Williem Petrus Pienaar looking at Patient and Donor Consent. In Leiden, this week is the Dutch Bio Science Week at the Leiden Bio Science Park. Today, WMDA visited hosts NecstGen for the Tech Talk XL, The latest in CGT. The event focused on the latest advancements in Cell and Gene therapies. We heard from the Leiden University Medical Center on the work that they are doing for patients in need of a transplant. In both the Northern and Southern Hemisphere, the legacy of Jon van Rood is very clear to see, as we work towards a world where access to life-saving cellular therapies for all patients is assured and donors’ rights and safety are protected. #allpatientsanddonorsmatter #donorcare #protecting42milliondonors #celltherapy #cgt #cellulartherapy