With over 5,500 participants from all over the world, EBMT 2024 was an inspiring event brimming with community collaboration, a patient-first ethos and insights from cellular therapy pioneers. We share our Top 5 Takeaways.
the EBMT
The Annual Meeting of the EBMT (European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation) brings together over 5,500 healthcare professionals and patient associations, including clinicians, data managers, researchers and specialists in stem cell transplantation and cellular therapy. This gathering is a crucial platform for exchanging knowledge, learning about recent advancements, and discussing ways to enhance patient care.
The event showcases the latest research findings and innovations in the field, with a focus on improving patient outcomes. Attendees have the opportunity to network with colleagues from around the globe and participate in specialised sessions tailored to their areas of expertise.
1 the power of community
As always, it was amazing to see the international EBMT family come together and share best practices. The opening ceremony was bursting at the seams with colleagues from every part of the transplant community, and it was lovely to start things off with clinical achievement awards.
EBMT is unique in bringing together people with different roles and experiences who are all committed to driving research forward and ensuring practices are based on the latest evidence. Conversations here spark the ideas and join the dots that advance cellular therapies and we always come away feeling inspired and energised.
The EBMT is one of the cornerstone organisations in our field, internationally. We work hand in hand to make sure all patients are provided with the transplants that wiil be most successful and cure thier underlying disease.
Leslie Kean, 2024 Van Bekkum Award Winner
2 iec therapies are about to transform patient care
The Immune Effector Cell Industry continues to expand, and we can’t wait to see some of the pipeline products come to mainstream treatments. What really stood out to us in 2024 was the volume of new products and companies making progress in this area. At Biovault, we are looking forward to playing an active role in the provision of innovative Immune Effector Cell products to partners and their patients when we secure our WDA(h) licence later this year.
3 jacie advances optimum industry standards
As a JACIE inspector, our General Manager, Ben Charles took part in JACIE inspector meetings. These were a great opportunity to meet with colleagues old and new and to discuss future quality standards. It was great to have an update on the direction of inspections, hear some fantastic talks and hear about the evolution to version 9 of the standards. Discussions regarding IEC standard updates and the case study for a standalone IEC accreditation were particularly interesting.
Biovault remains in a unique position in the UK as a private stand-alone JACIE processing facility. JACIE continues to represent the gold standard in our field and we’re proud to continue to meet and advance that standard with our colleagues throughout the international community.
4 ai to advance cellular therapies
The emergence of well-developed AI globally has changed the way we think about many things. It is exciting to see AI advance to potentially control the manufacture of complex cell therapy products and enable greater personalisation.
This is an area we’ll be watching closely as we continue update our systems to support both manufacturers and clinicians and their patients with cell processing and storage.
5 the future of cellular therapy
The reflection on the past 50 years of EBMT was incredible and it was fascinating to look back to the EBMT’s origins and forward to their future role. Mary Horowitz opened this section of the meeting by discussing the origins of transplant in the 1940s and the work of Barnes & Loutit producing the first graft vs Leukaemia model in mice.
The advances in our industry have been and continue to be immense. Reuben Benjamin concluded the presentations with his predictions for the future:
The development of CAR-T as first-line treatment
An evolution of the treatment of solid tumours
The use of cellular therapy in the treatment of autoimmune disease, including promising work published by Mackenson et al. having successfully treated 5 Lupas patients using CD19+ CAR-T.
collaborate with biovault
We’ve been part of the cellular therapy community since 2002 and are world leaders in cell processing and storage. From supporting pioneering research to providing JACIE-accredited services, we’re a long-term partner you can trust.