Guy's & St Thomas' Education & Events

Outline programme

Day 1 – Wednesday 5 October
• Overview of sickle cell disease
• Understanding and improving patient experiences: transition, pain, and treatment adherence
• Chronic organ damage session on the pulmonary, bone, renal and neurologic systems
• Basic and Translational Research in Sickle Cell Disease – US Centers of Excellence in
Hemoglobinopathy Research
• Neuro-imaging Diagnostic and case studies

Day 2 – Thursday 6 October
• Europe and the Middle East: challenges and opportunities in the migration era
• Priorities for sickle cell disease in Africa and India
• Main themes in thalassaemia

Day 3 – Friday 7 October
• Genetics and genomics for haemoglobinopathies
• Haemoglobinopathy morphology and clinical case scenarios
• New drug therapies
• Nursing issues in haemoglobinopathies

Steering committee:

Dr Baba Inusa (chair), Paediatric Haematology, Evelina London Children’s Hospital, Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust
Dr Banu Kaya, Department of Paediatric Haematology and Oncology, Royal London Hospital, Barts Health NHS
Dr Rachel Kesse-Adu, Haematology, Guy’s and St Thomas NHS Trust

Confirmed session coordinators and chairs:

– Dr Andrew Campbell, University of Michigan
– Dr Raffaella Colombatti, Azienda Ospedaliera-University of Padova
– John James, Sickle Cell Society
– Dr Banu Kaya, Royal London Hospital, Barts Health NHS
– Professor Fenella Kirkham, Institute of Child Health, London
– Dr Stephan Menzel, Genetics, King’s College, London
– Professor Solomon Ofori-Acquah, School of Medicine and Graduate School of Public Health and Center for Translational and International Hematology Heart, Lung, Blood and Vascular Medicine Institute
– Dr Rachel Kesse-Adu, Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust
– Professor Kwaku Ohene-Frempong, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and Director Emeritus, Comprehensive Sickle Cell Center, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
– Professor Ali Taher, Hematology & Oncology-American University of Beirut Medical Center, Beirut – Lebanon
– Dr Marsha Treadwell, UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland and Pacific Sickle Cell Regional Collaborative
– Professor Winfred Wang, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis

Click here to download a printable version of the conference leaflet

Click here to view the full programme

This event has taken place. Registration is now closed.

If you have any enquiries about the course, please contact the events team on 020 7880 6226 or email emilia.tosner@redactive.co.uk

Course fees

Consultants
3 days attendance (early bird* rate) £450 (standard rate) £550
1 day attendance (early bird* rate) £175 (standard rate) £200

Non Consultants
3 days attendance (early bird* rate) £375 (standard rate) £450
1 day attendance (early bird* rate) £125 (standard rate) £175

Medical / Nursing Students
3 days attendance (early bird* rate) £150 (standard rate) £200
1 day attendance (early bird* rate) £60 (standard rate) £75

*Early bird ends 1st August 2016*

We recommend attending all three days but delegates can book one or two days if preferred.

Cancellation policy:
Over 28 days notice before the event: 100% refund
15 to 28 days notice before the event: 50% refund
8 to 14 days notice before the event: 25% refund
0 to 7 days notice before the event: 0% refund

Travel and Accommodation

Information on discounted hotel rates will be available shortly.

If you are travelling from overseas to attend this conference then please be aware that you may be required to apply for a visa, please ensure that you leave yourself plenty of time to do so.

The abstract submission process is your opportunity to help shape the content, to share your work with your peers and raise your professional profile.

Can I make a submission? We encourage abstract submission as early as possible. The deadline has now passed.

Do I have to pay? There is no fee for making a submission. If your submission is accepted for presentation then you will be required to attend the Conference and pay the standard registration fee for the day of your presentation.

Submitting an abstract

A. Important Information

1. If you are submitting more than one abstract, you will need to submit with a second email address.

2. Abstracts are required for all papers and posters. Abstracts MUST be submitted online.

3. Text must be in single line spacing.

4. Authors are allowed to use tables and images as part of their abstract (maximum of 1tables/images only can be submitted with each abstract). Please mark clearly within the abstract text where the table/image is to be inserted and provide relevant reference.

B. Preparation of Your Abstract

1. A “blind” selection process will be used. No identifying features such as names of hospitals, medical schools, clinics or cities may be listed in the title or text of the abstract. Do not include the names of authors either. The names of authors and their affiliations (institutions) will be submitted on-line when you submit the abstract.

2. Abstracts which have been presented to a substantially different audience, especially an international one, may be submitted for consideration.

3. The title should be as brief as possible but long enough to indicate clearly the nature of the study.

4. Abstracts should state briefly and clearly the purpose, methods, results and conclusions of the work. The maximum word count is 350 words. 

Aims: Clearly state the purpose of the abstract

Methods: Describe your selection of observations or experimental subjects clearly

Results/ Conclusion: Present your results in a logical sequence in text, tables and illustrations – IF RESULTS ARE NOT INCLUDED THEN YOUR ABSTRACT WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED. Clearly state the conclusion of your study.

Abstract categories

Please indicate which category you believe best fits your entry.

• Blood Transfusion and Blood Safety
• Laboratory Diagnosis
• Newborn Screening and Follow-up
• New therapies
• Psychosocial Interventions
• Public Health and Health Education

If you are unsure about the requirements for a specific category, please give us a call on 020 7880 6226 to discuss your entry.

ENTRY DEADLINE HAS NOW PASSED

Please see below for speaker presentations

Dr Alexis Thompson – American Society for Hematology (ASH) Sickle Cell Summit: Strategy for Sub-Saharan Africa

Professor Ali Taher – Evidence-based approach to managing Non-Transfusion-Dependent Thalassemias (NTDT)

Dr Barnaby Clark – Application of next generation sequencing to haemoglobinopathy diagnosis

Dr Claire Sharpe – Renal complications of sickle cell disease

Professor Dagan Wells – New technique of karyomapping for PGD

Professor David Roberts – Thousands of genetic variants modulate blood cell variation and function in humans

Deepika Darbari – Deconstructing pain in sickle cell disease: sickling, sensitivity and centralization

Professor Elizabeth Klings – Pulmonary HTN (can include pulm complications in SCD)

Dr Emma Drasar – Thalassaemia case scenarios

Professor Greg Kato – Augmenting nitric oxide signaling in SCD

Dr Jerlym Porter – Transition skills training

Dr Jo Howard – Haemoglobin modifiers such as GBT-440

Dr Jo Howard – NICE guidance on spectra optia for automatic red blood cell exchange in patients with sickle cell disease

Professor Kalpna Gupta – Promising strategies to treat pain in sickle cell disease

Dr Ken Ataga – Endothelial dysfunction and albuminuria in sickle cell disease

Luhanga Musumadi – New innovations in clinical communication with young people

Dr Marsha Treadwell – Patient reported outcomes for the hemoglobinopathies

Professor Matt Heeney – Anti adhesion agents

Service to Humanity Foundation

Simon Robertson – Virtual reality as a complementary therapy

Dr Stephan Lobitz – Emerging haemoglobinopathies services: the role of digital technology – the German example

The 10^th Annual Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) and Thalassaemia Conference is the essential event for all health care professionals who wish to learn more about the diagnosis and management of sickle cell disease and thalassaemia.

The conference provides unique exposure and access to network with international healthcare stakeholders including:

• A showcase to a highly relevant audience
• Access to industry influencers and decision makers
• Premium association with a leading edge authoritative event
• Access to key stakeholders
• Networking opportunities

This year’s sponsors and exhibitors include:

Silver sponsor – bluebird bio

With its lentiviral-based gene therapies, T cell immunotherapy expertise and gene editing capabilities, bluebird bio has built an integrated product platform with broad potential application to severe genetic diseases and cancer. bluebird bio’s gene therapy clinical programs include its Lenti-D™ product candidate for the treatment of cerebral adrenoleukodystrophy and its LentiGlobin™ BB305 product candidate for the treatment of transfusion-dependent ß-thalassemia and severe sickle cell disease. bluebird bio’s oncology pipeline is built upon the company’s leadership in lentiviral gene delivery and T cell engineering. bluebird bio’s lead oncology program, bb2121, is an anti-BCMA CAR T program partnered with Celgene. bluebird bio also has discovery research programs utilizing megaTALs/homing endonuclease gene editing technologies with the potential for use across the company’s pipeline.

Bronze sponsor – Addmedica

ADDMEDICA, founded in 2005, is a European pharmaceutical company focused on developing and marketing innovative products for rare diseases, serious conditions and unmet medical needs. Headquartered in Paris, France, the company will reach a turnover of € 10 million in 2015. ADDMEDICA has developed a strong expertise in haematology and paediatric fields: with the development of SIKLOS® 100mg and 1000mg (hydroxycarbamide), the company has made a significant contribution to the field of Sickle Cell Disease (SCD). On June 29th, 2007, ADDMEDICA obtained a European Marketing Authorization for SIKLOS® 100mg & 1000mg as an orphan medicinal product in the prevention of recurrent, painful vaso-occlusive crisis, including chest syndrome in paediatric and adult patients suffering from SCD. In Europe, SCD affects 22 000 patients and before SIKLOS, no medicine has ever been registered for the treatment of SCD.

Bronze Sponsor – ApoPharma

Improving Human Health Through Innovation

ApoPharma Inc. is an innovative drug company devoted to providing drug products that help improve the quality of life of patients with debilitating and life-threatening diseases.

Our Strength is in Our Size

We may be a small pharmaceutical company but we use this as an advantage.  The team we have assembled is very much attuned to the needs of our customers and aligned with the ApoPharma vision and mission.  They are dedicated to helping the patient populations that rely on our prescription medicines for improved quality of life.

Our focus is on the discovery and development of new molecules in 3 key areas with the goal of providing much needed treatment options where none currently exist.  The 3 key areas include:

1) Haematological conditions where iron plays a role;
2) Neurodegenerative diseases; and,
3) Immune-related conditions.

Driving Innovation

Investigation into the role of iron in human diseases and how to use iron chelators to treat conditions created or worsened by iron is a major research area of ApoPharma’s.  Our research includes conditions with generalized iron overload such as in patients who have repeated blood transfusions, as well as conditions where there is no generalized iron overload, only localized regions of slightly elevated iron or even intracellular mishandling of iron, leading to iron-induced pathology, including certain neurological disorders, such as Friedreich Ataxia, Pantothenate Kinase Associated Neurodegeneration (PKAN) and Parkinson’s Disease.

ApoPharma is also conducting research on novel approaches to treat certain immune-related disorders, including psoriasis.  While there are many treatments available for such conditions, some are effective for only brief periods of time, or carry the risk of serious adverse events related to the actions of such agents on modulation of physiologic processes related to infection and control of malignant cells. By looking for unique targets to modify conditions such as psoriasis, it may be possible to treat the condition, without putting patients at risk of serious side effects.

Bronze sponsor – AstraZeneca

AstraZeneca is a global, science-led biopharmaceutical company that focuses on the discovery, development and commercialization of prescription medicines, primarily for the treatment of diseases in three therapy areas – Respiratory and Autoimmunity, Cardiovascular and Metabolic Diseases, and Oncology. The company is also active in inflammation, infection and neuroscience through numerous collaborations. AstraZeneca operates in over 100 countries. For more information: www.astrazeneca.com.

AstraZeneca is currently undertaking a development program with the anti-platelet drug Ticagrelor in Sickle Cell Disease. There are clinical and nonclinical evidence that platelets participate in the vaso-occlusive process and there is a rationale for the evaluation of antiplatelet therapies in management of Sickle Cell Disease. Currently are two studies ongoing – one in children 2-18 years and one in young adults (18-30 yrs). For more information – please contact marie.sundin@astrazeneca.com (clinical project leader) or anders.r.berggren@astrazeneca.com (senior physician).

Sponsor – Emmaus Medical

Founded in 2000, Emmaus Medical, Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company engaged in the discovery, development, and commercialization of innovative and cost-effective treatments and therapies primarily for rare and orphan disease. The company has completed all patient visits for its Phase 3 clinical trial for a treatment for sickle cell disease.

www.emmausmedical.com

Sponsor – Global Blood Therapeutics

Global Blood Therapeutics, Inc. is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to discovering, developing and commercializing novel therapeutics to treat grievous blood-based disorders with significant unmet need. GBT is developing its lead product candidate, GBT440, as an oral, once-daily therapy for sickle cell disease (SCD) and is currently evaluating GBT440 in a Phase 1/2 study in both healthy subjects and adults with SCD and a Phase 2a study in adolescents with SCD. GBT is also investigating GBT440 for the treatment of hypoxemic pulmonary disorders in an ongoing Phase 2a study in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Additionally, GBT is also engaged in research and development activities with an oral kallikrein inhibitor for the prevention of hereditary angioedema attacks.

To learn more, please visit: www.globalbloodtx.com.

Sponsor – Loligo® Systems

Founded in 2002, Loligo® Systems is a privately owned research spin-off company from the University of Copenhagen and Aalborg University in Denmark.

Based on a background in science and in co-operation with leading universities around the world, Loligo® Systems develop new innovative products. The latest addition to our portfolio is BOBS™ – a novel Blood Oxygen Binding System. BOBS™ is designed to let the user determine hemoglobin affinity for oxygen. Real-time pH measurements, a wide temperature range and UV-VIS absorbance data sets BOBS™ apart as a unique and powerful research tool.

At Loligo® Systems we feel strongly about the international scientific community and sponsor meetings, symposiums and student prizes.

Sponsor – Pfizer Rare Disease

At Pfizer, we apply science and our global resources to bring therapies to people that extend and significantly improve their lives.  Every day, Pfizer colleagues work across developed and emerging markets to advance wellness, prevention, treatments and cures that challenge the most feared diseases of our time.

Sponsor – Resonance Health

Resonance Health is an Australian healthcare company specialising in the development and delivery of non-invasive medical imaging software and services. Resonance Health delivers FerriScan® R2-MRI, the gold standard in non-invasive measurement of liver iron concentration (LIC). FerriScan is FDA, CE and TGA approved for quantitative measurement of Liver Iron Concentration and provides an accurate tool to assist clinicians optimise iron monitoring and management. Cardiac T2* can also be offered alongside FerriScan in a ‘dual-analysis’ service for assessment of both liver and heart iron.

FerriScan R2-MRI has the highest sensitivity and specificity over the range of LIC encountered in clinical practice, and is delivered as a quality-controlled, standardised service, ensuring reliability of results between centres, scanners and over time. Over 30,000 FerriScans have now been performed worldwide. For further information on our range of services including FerriScan, Cardiac T2*, Hepafat-Scan (quantitative liver fat volume assessment) and a range of other core lab services available, please visit www.resonancehealth.com or contact us at info@resonancehealth.com.

Sponsor – Terumo

Terumo BCT, a global leader in blood component, therapeutic apheresis and cellular technologies, is the only company with the unique combination of apheresis collections, manual and automated whole blood processing, and pathogen reduction. We believe in the potential of blood to do even more for patients than it does today. This belief inspires our innovation and strengthens our collaboration with customers.

Our therapeutic apheresis device, Spectra Optia® Apheresis System, can be used to perform red blood cell exchange (RBCX) procedures.

Charity partner – Over the Wall

Over The Wall is a national charity, providing free of charge residential activity camps to children and young people aged 8-17 living with serious health challenges. We also provide camps to siblings and family groups.  Over The Wall gives children living with serious health challenges and their siblings a week of experiences that are memorable, fun, empowering, physically safe and medically sound. A week that can be life changing, that they would not be able to have anywhere else in the UK. We have been providing our unique camps for 17 years.