On behalf of the organizing committee, we welcome you all to the 8th Worldwide Network for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (WBMT) Workshop in Islamabad, Pakistan. This represents a historical event involving global experts, who are known for their efforts to improve health care access and treatment throughout the World. This workshop is a continuation of events pioneered by WBMT, aiming at helping countries with restricted transplant resources and activity.
The WBMT is incorporated as a non-profit organization for educational, scientific and philanthropic purposes under the laws of Switzerland and is located in Bern. The WBMT promotes excellence in stem cell transplantation (SCT), stem cell donation, cellular therapy (CT) and accreditation as well as access to SCT worldwide through collaboration of existing international societies using coordination, communication and advocacy. The purpose of this cooperation is to engage exclusively in charitable, scientific, and educational activities and endeavors including specifically, but not limited to, promoting and fostering among the many scientific and clinical disciplines, the exchange and diffusion of information and ideas relating to SCT and CT and encouraging investigations on these matters. The focus of the Network is to advance the field of SCT and CT in collaboration with its member societies. The WBMT is providing an excellent platform where different specialists are working together offering their decades of experience and expertise to develop and improve transplant activities in resource restricted countries.
This Workshop will include delegates from Eastern Mediterranean region, North America, South America, Asia Pacific , Europe and Africa who will all be involved in discussion and guidance on establishing transplantation program, donor selection, coordination among transplant societies and centres, transfusion support, accreditation system, cell processing and quality assurance. Regional experts will be presenting transplant activities and local health authorities will be engaged to sensitize them about importance of HSCT as a curative therapy for a variety of malignant and non-malignant disorders. The local organization of this event is done by Armed Forces Bone Marrow Transplant Centre / National Institute of Blood and Marrow Transplant (AFBMTC/NIBMT), located in Rawalpindi, Pakistan. Established in 2001, AFBMTC/NIBMT is the only dedicated transplant centre of the country with capability of performing more than 150 allogeneic transplants/year. AFBMTC/NIBMT is also the only centre of Pakistan to have a cellular therapy programme and an in house mesenchymal stem cell culture facility since 2015.
We are delighted to welcome our friends and participants from all over the world to this prestigious event. We hope that this event will increase knowledge, skill, networking with new friends and colleagues and last but not the least, to enjoy the Pakistani culture and hospitality.