Precision medicine in haematological malignancies, transfusion medicine, and thrombosis and haemostasis will feature in the opening session at Blood 2022 in Sydney next week (11-14 September).

The session will also showcase three of the national and international speakers in an impressive faculty brought together for the combined annual scientific meeting of the HSANZ, THANZ and ANZSBT.

• Professor Cameron Turtle, the newly-minted CLEARbridge Chair of Cancer Immunotherapy at the University of Sydney, will speak on the factors associated with outcomes of CAR-T cell therapies for B cell malignancies.
• Dr Stella Chou, Chief of the Division of Transfusion Medicine at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, will speak about using customised induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) with rare blood group antigen combinations as renewable sources of red cell reagents.
• Professor Peter Verhamme, from the Vascular Medicine and Haemostasis Unit at the University Hospitals Leuven, Belgium, will also ask the question of whether FXI inhibitors will live up to their promise.

As usual, the program will also feature the prestigious named orations for each society. This year they are:

• Dr Robert Andrews from the ANU, presenting the Barry Firkin Oration for the THANZ. (Sun, 1pm)
• Dr Helen Savoia, Director of Laboratory Services at The Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne, presenting the Ruth Sanger Oration for the ANZSBT. (Mon, 1.15pm)
• Professor Joy Ho, from the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, presenting the Carl de Gruchy Oration for the HSANZ. (Tues, 1.15pm)

The program covers a spectrum from basic science to clinical, from common anaemias to rare diseases of coagulation, from cellular therapies and emerging technologies to supportive and palliative care.

It also covers the lifespan from paediatric transfusion, to lymphoma in adolescents and young adults, obstetric haematology and new therapies in older adults.

COVID-19-associated coagulopathy, vaccine-induced thrombotic thrombocytopenia and immune thrombocytopenia along with COVID-19’s impact on clinical services and patient outcomes are of course on the program.

Each of the hosting societies is also hosting Masterclasses for which pre-registration is required. (Mon, 6.30pm and Tues, 5.30pm).

Concurrent sessions for nurse members of the societies and two sessions of the Bone Marrow Transplant Scientists Association of Australasia (BMTSAA), one jointly with the Australia and New Zealand Transplant and Cellular Therapies (ANZTCT), are also on the program.

After a scientific program celebrating new therapies and future advances, the Gala Dinner will enjoy looking back to the 1920s with a Roaring Twenties – flappers and gangsters – theme. (Tuesday, 7pm).

The THANZ World Thrombosis Day Walk will be held Tuesday at 7.30am.

Blood 2022 will be held at Sydney International Convention Centre on 11-14 September.
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