Simon Benson, President of ANZSBT, provides an update on the Society's activities.
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This time last year who could have predicted that we would now be moving into the second year of the COVID19 pandemic. Unfortunately, the recent unexpected clusters here in Australia and New Zealand show we still face some ongoing uncertainty but at least the roll out of vaccination programs offers a degree of optimism.
At this year’s first Council meeting in February we commenced preparing a new strategic plan for the Society. We are looking at the next three to five years and in doing so hope to identify our priorities and focus for this period. One thing COVID-19 has highlighted is that we need to supplement our income to enable us to fund both our existing activities and those we wish to undertake in the future. We are actively exploring a range of external sponsorship opportunities to strengthen our funding of education and research. With regards to education we are well advanced in planning a series of webinars across the year which we think you will find interesting. Please join us for our first Webinar on 30 March to hear about the international efforts required to source rare blood to save a young girl's life.
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28 March 2021: Research grant applications close
30 March 2021: Webinar: 'Zainab's Story'
15 April 2021: Blood 2021 abstract submissions close
30 June 2021: Membership renewals due
19-22 September 2021: Blood 2021 Annual Scientific Meeting
13-16 November 2021: ISBT Regional Congress
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I know you will be wondering about the BLOOD meeting and ISBT Regional Congress scheduled for September and November respectively. Council and the local organising committees remain committed to both meetings; however they are still considering the implications of the available options before making a final decision, which is expected soon.
Since the AGM we saw the departure of Debbie Pinchon from Council. Debbie was our Treasurer and on behalf of Council I would like to sincerely thank Debbie for all her work on behalf of the Society over many years, and wish her well for the future. I am immensely grateful to Greg Irwin for stepping into the Treasurer’s role for the remainder of this Council term. As a result of these changes, we have a casual vacancy on Council which we are hoping to fill shortly.
In closing, I would like you to reflect on the word “perseverance”. Defined by Merriam-Webster as “… continued effort to do or achieve something despite difficulties, failure, or opposition: the action or condition or an instance of persevering.” In English use since the 14th century, the word may be traced to the Latin roots of per-, meaning “through,” and severus, meaning “severe”. I think you’ll agree this has some relevance to what we have been through over the last year and certainly resonates with me. Perseverance also just happens to be the name of the NASA spacecraft which landed on Mars on 18 February. This is an extremely exciting mission but it remains to be seen whether it ultimately succeeds in finding signs of Martian life!
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ANZSBT Member, John Dagger is the recipient of the Peter Schiff Award for 2020. Due to the COVID19 pandemic the 2020 award was presented virtually. This is his story.
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I commenced training as a medical scientist at the Wellington Public Hospital Laboratory in 1967, with initial training in haematology, microbiology, clinical chemistry and transfusion science.
My training was interrupted in 1971 when I went to the United Kingdom for 18 months and worked in the Blood Transfusion Laboratory of the Royal Post Graduate Medical School at Hammersmith Hospital.
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I completed my qualifications in 1973 with a specialist-level examination in transfusion science. I have subsequently held positions as the In-charge Scientist of the Tissue Typing Laboratory, the Transfusion Laboratories, and the leader of the Laboratory Services.
In 1973 I commenced tutoring transfusion science to laboratory trainees at the local Polytechnic. This continued and expanded with teaching to transfusion scientists, haematology registrars and nursing staff. It is a great feeling of accomplishment to impart my enthusiasm, knowledge and experience to the participants.
For the last 16 years I have been a Technical Advisor to the New Zealand Blood Service (NZBS), coordinating the New Zealand Haemovigilance Program. I am also involved with the NZBS Clinical Oversight Program and my approach on visits to laboratories is not just to identify problems or deficiencies but to also provide explanations, resources for additional information, and suggestions on how the problems can be rectified.
At a personal level I have a child that has used a blood product for the last 40 years of their life. This has made me realise, and to reinforce to staff, the importance of safety and effectiveness when preparing and issuing products and components. The patient is reliant on the processes and tests for the safety and effectiveness of the blood product or component they are receiving. I can recall the 'Bad Blood!' headlines and have seen the effect of post-transfusion HIV and HCV and have no wish to see another infection caused by transfusion that could be prevented.
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The Peter Schiff Award is sponsored by CSL Behring and is awarded annually to a person who has made a significant contribution to transfusion medicine through research, education, blood donation and/or appropriate clinical use leading to better healthcare in Australia or New Zealand.
Further information about the award, the nomination process, and information on past recipients is on the ANZSBT website.
ANZSBT Image showing Professor Robert Flower receiving the 2019 Peter Schiff Award at the Blood 2019 Annual Scientific Meeting, from Dr Gemma Crighton (ANZSBT President) and Giulio Barrese (CSL) .
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Wendy Erber, Chair of the ANZSBT Research Committee, provides an overview of the research grants.
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The ANZSBT Research Fund was established in 1998 in order to advance research in transfusion medicine and science, and improve clinical practice in blood management in Australia and New Zealand for the benefit of patients.
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Since 2005, the fund has awarded 42 grants to a total value of $700,000. These have covered an array of transfusion-related topics aligned with the Society’s vision, including patient and donor safety, novel testing strategies, transfusion thresholds and transfusion alternatives. Projects supported by the Research Fund have addressed transfusion medicine practice improvement, patient outcomes, haemovigilance and patient blood management. We have also supported projects in transfusion practice in rural and remote settings, for fetal, neonatal, paediatric and elderly patients, indigenous populations and minority groups in Australia and New Zealand.
I was honoured to be a member of the original committee of the Australasian Society of Blood Transfusion that included Chris Burrell, Doug Joshua AM, James McCluskey AO and David Roxby. In 2005 a new deed was established under the name of ANZSBT. The inaugural ANZSBT Research Committee members were Anne Fletcher (Chair), John Carter MNZM, Doug Joshua AM, James McCluskey AO and Chris Burrell. Transfusion research in our Society has thus been overseen for many years by esteemed scientists and haematologists, evidence of the important role it has for us and the field of transfusion.
Research grant applications for the 2021 funding round are currently open, with a closing date of 28 March 2021. We look forward to receiving and reviewing the applications, and then making the difficult decisions regarding recommendations for funding.
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Zainab’s Story - 8am Tuesday 30 March 2021 - The international effort to find rare blood to save a young girl’s life
Join us for the next ANZSBT Webinar with Dr Richard Gammon and Nancy Benitez (OneBlood USA), Sandra Nance (Rare Donor Program American Red Cross) and Tanya Powley (Australian Red Cross Lifeblood) as they share how they searched the world to find compatible blood for Zainab, a two-year-old girl with a rare blood group.
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More information and registration details will be available soon on the ANZSBT website and will be emailed to members.
ANZSBT thanks Immulab for sponsoring this webinar.
Image credit SBS
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A position paper on Transporting Blood and Blood products to a Patient’s Bedside has been published by the ANZSBT Transfusion Science Standing Committee. This paper sets out the minimum requirements for transport of blood and blood products and can be used when developing or reviewing policies and procedures in organisations.
Image of a commercial drone designed for transport of blood and blood products in a demonstration run in the UK. Image credit https://twitter.com/jamesingham.
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Blood 2021, the combined Annual Scientific Meeting of the HSANZ, ANZSBT and THANZ, is to be held from 19 to 22 September 2021.
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Council is committed to this meeting, and is currently considering the format of the meeting. Further information will be provided when available.
The call for Abstracts for Blood 2021 is now open and will close on Thursday 15 April 2021. Submit your abstract now.
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Apply now for an ANZSBT grant
The 2021 ANZSBT Research Grant is open now, with a closing date of Sunday 28th March 2021.
Travel Grants are available to assist with attendance at the Blood 2021 Annual Scientific Meeting.
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ANZSBT AGM
COVID-19 has inevitably shaped how the Society functions, but despite this our work has continued.
The Annual General Meeting is traditionally held during the BLOOD Annual Scientific Meeting (ASM). In the absence of BLOOD in 2020 a virtual AGM was held in November which was very well attended.
During the AGM the society was very pleased to award life membership to Drs Beverleigh Quested and John Rowell.
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A key item on the agenda was a special resolution to adopt a revised constitution in line with our status as a charitable organisation. The new constitution was unanimously accepted by all present. After the AGM a small but significant error in the new constitution was discovered. This was quickly addressed and the corrected clause unanimously accepted at a subsequent Special General Meeting.
The AGM agenda and meeting papers are available in the members’ area of our website.
Image by Jacob Le on Unsplash.
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ANZSBT is a registered charity. You can make a tax-deductible donation to promote best practice in clinical and laboratory medicine through life-changing research, education and independent expertise.
Donate today!
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BloodSafe eLearning Australia has released a number of new courses for doctors, nurses, midwives, scientists and other health professionals in the transfusion chain:
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Cracking the Code: RCPA Pathology Update is Friday 2 - Sunday 4 July 2021 at the International Convention Centre, Sydney. The RCPA’s Annual Scientific Conference will be presented in hybrid mode - attend face-to-face or virtually - and stay connected with your college and colleagues this year. #PathUpdate2021
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The RCPA Foundation Kanematsu Research Award into disorders of thrombosis and haemostasis is now open. Applications close on 30 June 2021.
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The International Haemovigilance Network (IHN) is hosting a virtual mini-conference on Haemovigilance in Times of COVID 19 on 18 March 2021. Further information and registration is available on their website.
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The Clinical Practice Improvement Committee (CPIC) has:
- Drafted a response to the PREVENTT study which has recently been published in Lancet.
- Reviewed feedback on draft Guidelines for Nurse Prescribing - these will now be sent to the peak Australian and New Zealand nursing colleges for endorsement.
- Continued work on the Guidelines for the EMR at the Bedside based on feedback received.
The Transfusion Science Standing Committee (TSSC) meets monthly and has:
- Continued to work on the Fetomaternal Haemorrhage (FMH) guidelines with the first draft now in the editing stage.
- Obtained and reviewed the NBA draft RhD Immunoglobulin guidelines to ensure alignment with the society's FMH guidelines.
- Developed and published a position statement on Transporting Blood and Blood Products to a Patient’s Bedside.
- Addressed and responded to questions about the new position statement.
The Education Standing Committee (ESC) acknowledges the leadership of David Peterson and welcomes his ongoing support and commitment to the ANZSBT newsletter. Dr Anastazia Keegan has taken on the role of chair and reports the committee have:
- Assessed ESC members strengths and interests, and developed suitable objectives to align with these.
- Developed a shortlist of topics and presenters for the 2021 ANZSBT Webinar Series.
- Reengaged with the RACP Choosing Wisely team to update the initial recommendations suggested for ANZSBT's Transfusion Campaign in 2018.
- Developed a plan for the ongoing delivery of the ANZSBT newsletter for 2021 with Dr Sandy Minck and David Peterson providing the editorial role and the ESC sourcing and contributing content.
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Keegan A, Crispin P, Ormerod, A, Brown K, Akers C, King F. Correspondence re: Iron deficiency in PREVENTT. Lancet. 2021;397:669. DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(21)00216-6
Johnson, L, Vekariya, S, Tan, S, Padula, MP, Marks, DC. Extended storage of thawed platelets: Refrigeration supports postthaw quality for 10 days. Transfusion. 2020; 60: 2969– 2981. https://doi.org/10.1111/trf.16127
Wood, B., Padula, M.P., Marks, D.C. and Johnson, L. (2021), The immune potential of ex vivo stored platelets: a review. Vox Sang. https://doi.org/10.1111/vox.13058
Rustanti, L, Hobson‐Peters, J, Colmant, AMG, et al. Inactivation of Japanese encephalitis virus in plasma by methylene blue combined with visible light and in platelet concentrates by ultraviolet C light. Transfusion. 2020; 60: 2655–2660. https://doi.org/10.1111/trf.16021
An, T, Dean, M, Flower, R, et al. Understanding occult hepatitis C infection. Transfusion. 2020; 60: 2144– 2152. https://doi.org/10.1111/trf.16006
Cheok, KPL, Chhetri, R, Wee, LYA, et al. The burden of immune‐mediated refractoriness to platelet transfusions in myelodysplastic syndromes. Transfusion. 2020; 60: 2192– 2198. https://doi.org/10.1111/trf.16029
Masser, BM, Hyde, MK, Ferguson, E. Exploring predictors of Australian community members' blood donation intentions and blood donation–related behavior during the COVID‐19 pandemic. Transfusion. 2020; 60: 2907– 2917. https://doi.org/10.1111/trf.16067
Gregory J Walker, Zin Naing, Alberto Ospina Stella, Malinna Yeang, Joanna Caguicla, Vidiya Ramachandran, Sonia R Isaacs, David Agapiou, Rowena A Bull, Sacha Stelzer-Braid, James Daly, Iain B Gosbell, Veronica C Hoad, David O Irving, Joanne M Pink, Stuart Turville, Anthony D Kelleher, William D Rawlinson. SARS Coronavirus-2 microneutralisation and commercial serological assays correlated closely for some but not all enzyme immunoassays. medRxiv doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.12.07.20245696 and Viruses. 2021; 13(2):247. https://doi.org/10.3390/v13020247
Fiona Tea, Alberto Ospina Stella, Anupriya Aggarwal, David Ross Darley, Deepti Pilli, Daniele Vitale, Vera Merheb, Fiona X. Z. Lee, Philip Cunningham, Gregory J. Walker, David A. Brown, William D. Rawlinson, Sonia R. Isaacs, Vennila Mathivanan, Markus Hoffman, Stefan Pöhlmann, Dominic E. Dwyer, Rebeca Rockett, Vitali Sintchenko, Veronica C. Hoad, David O. Irving, Gregory J. Dore, Iain B. Gosbell, Anthony D. Kelleher, Gail V. Matthews, Fabienne Brilot, Stuart G Turville
SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies; longevity, breadth, and evasion by emerging viral variants medRxiv 2020.12.19.20248567; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.12.19.20248567
Chai, K.L. and Wood, E.M. What is clinically significant bleeding?. Transfusion. 2021; 61: 340-343. https://doi.org/10.1111/trf.16277
Wong, SM, Cawthorne, T, Dennington, PM, Hong, FS. Red blood cell transfusion in patients with anti‐Yta. Transfusion. 2021; 61: 379– 384. https://doi.org/10.1111/trf.16239
Clifford V, Klein LD, Sulfaro C, et al. What are Optimal Bacteriological Screening Test Cut-Offs for Pasteurized Donor Human Milk Intended for Feeding Preterm Infants? Journal of Human Lactation. December 2020. doi:10.1177/0890334420981013
Kiely, P., Hoad, V.C., Seed, C.R. and Gosbell, I.B. (2021), Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus‐2: implications for blood safety and sufficiency. Vox Sang. https://doi.org/10.1111/vox.13009
An, T, Dean, M, Flower, R, et al. Understanding occult hepatitis C infection. Transfusion. 2020; 60: 2144– 2152. https://doi.org/10.1111/trf.16006
Apologies to any member whose publication we may have missed. Please email us your articles for inclusion in our next newsletter and/or on our website.
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