We are pleased to announce our newly formalised relationship with Australian and New Zealand Transplant and Cellular Therapy (ANZTCT).

ANZTCT, formerly known as the Bone Marrow Transplant Society of Australia and New Zealand, is a society consisting of clinicians, advanced trainees, scientists, medical graduates, nurses, data managers and pharmacists, involved in the clinical or laboratory management of patients undergoing blood or marrow stem cell transplantation or with an interest in the field of blood or marrow stem cell transplantation and cellular therapies research.

Essentially, the ANZTCT is the national professional body representing the transplant and cellular therapies sector in Australia and includes a wide community of medical professionals working together to provide bone marrow and stem cell transplants to patients.

The aims of the ANZTCT include:

•To improve the outcome for patients of all ages undergoing blood or marrow stem cell transplantation or cellular therapies in Australia and New Zealand through innovation and improvements in clinical care;
•To advocate for better patient access to blood and marrow transplant and cellular therapies;
•To foster clinical and laboratory research in blood and marrow transplantation and cellular therapies;
•To track blood and marrow transplant and cellular therapy activity and outcomes in Australia and New Zealand through the ANZTCT Registry;
•To monitor and facilitate the professional education and training of health workers involved in the provision of blood and marrow transplant and cellular therapy; and
•To form collaborative links with other national and international organisations with similar objectives

This partnership will see the ANZTCT share with us their scientific expertise in the field of bone marrow and stem cell transplants, providing subject matter expertise that we can pass on to our patients and their families, and Arrow will help bring patient voices to the fore as we work with members of the ANZTCT through our nurse and PhD scholarship programs.

Dr Nada Hamad, President of the ANZTCT is looking forward to working together in this ‘amazing collaboration’ between our two organisations in not only sharing information and resources, but also in promoting advocacy initiatives, informing future policy changes and highlighting medical research priorities.

Together with this collaborative approach, Arrow and ANZTCT have the potential to make a great difference in improving transplant outcomes and access to transplant for patients.

The Inaugural Scientific Meeting in Manly

Our first joint initiative with the ANZTCT will be the inaugural ANZTCT Scientific Meeting, held in Manly from 7th to 9th September 2023. The comprehensive program of sessions will cover transplant and cellular therapy (TCT) clinical practice, scientific presentations, research workshops and education and training for all those contributing to TCT service delivery.

Arrow is a proud partner of the event and is supporting a dedicated patient information day being held on the final day of the conference, Saturday 9th September. This family-friendly day will include sessions on diet during transplants, exercise in survivorship, Graft v. host disease and other transplant complications, as well as opportunities to hear about the future of BMT, plus a peek into how the donor matching process really works.

We encourage health care professionals in the area of blood and marrow transplant and cellular therapies to register for the event now, as well as bone marrow transplant patients and their families. You can find further details on our Events page here.