Dear BSBMTCT member,

We would like to wish everyone a lovely Summer, and we hope you are all at some point getting some well-earned rest and relaxation. We would like to Thank You ALL for your support, hard work and participation over the last few months.

Here are a few updates from us:

• We have just completed the shortlisting for our new Senior Medical Statistician. Interviews are on the 8^th August and we are looking forward to the appointee joining our registry team. Rachel Pearce has worked and supported the work of the society and registry since 2005 and will be retiring at the end of this year. We expect to be able to announce who the successful candidate is in our August bulletin.
• We will shortly be sending out a request for nominations so that we can run an election process to appoint a Chair of our new Vaccination and Infection Sub Committee, with a broadened remit now including infections. We will, therefore, be encouraging microbiologists and virologists to put themselves forward for the role or subcommittee membership. This role is open to all members and is an excellent opportunity to get involved in the BSBMTCT.
• We are making very positive progress with the implementation of our 2025-2030 Strategic Plan, which can be found at https://bsbmtct.org/bsbmtct-strategic-plan-2025-2030/. Our plan includes 5 strategic aims and 3 important enablers of forging mutually beneficial partnerships, continuing with our modernisation and professionalisation work, and growing and diversifying our income. We have been busy over the last six months working on a very significant charitable partnership, the objectives of which are to:
  • Improve patient outcomes and experience; 
  • Strengthen the UK’s ecosystem for transplantation and cell therapies; 
  • Enable more effective collection, analysis and use of data;
  • Support joint fundraising, advocacy, and research activities; 
  • Enhance the long-term sustainability and resilience of our respective charities. 

We hope to be able to launch this publicly during the second half of 2025. We have also been building relationships with other charitable and 4 commercial organisations.

One such commercial partnership with a pharmaceutical company has enabled us to produce a financial surplus for the 2024 year. We are working to further strengthen our financial position this year through further charitable and commercial partnerships, enabling partner companies to progress with their development plans, growing our income, with a view to growing our staff capacity to be able to engage and collaborate in more positive projects across our community.

We are planning in September to launch with the UKSCSF Data Commissioners a process to help us to understand the breadth and granularity of data that members would like to be able to collect and access, that is not presently possible through the EBMT registry. The group will comprise representatives of the transplant and cell therapy clinical community, Anthony Nolan and NHSBT. Our plan is to scope and appraise a Registry proposition, engaging with stakeholders (including patient representatives) to explore opportunities and requirements. The anticipated output of this exercise will be a Business Case, including costs, anticipated benefits and options for implementation.

We recognise that at this time of financial stringency, member centres are being put under considerable financial pressure to explore and achieve reduced costs. The Board of Trustees have been concerned to hear that vital Data Management/Quality Management roles have not escaped such scrutiny. We are working to convey to member Trusts that such roles are VITAL in the commissioning of a transplant centre and certainly cannot be considered as being in any way dispensable.

Thank you all for helping with the payment of the invoices for the 2025 BSBMTCT Subscription.

BSBMTCT Dates for your Diary for 2025

• BSBMTCT Education Day – Tuesday 4^th November – Hybrid https://bsbmtct.org/events/bsbmtct-education-day-2/
• BSBMTCT DM Training Day – Thursday 13^th November – Virtual – Save the Date
• BSBMTCT CTSC Meeting – Tuesday 18^th November – 11-3pm Virtual – Save the Date

Other Meeting Dates for your Diary for 2025:

• Stem Cell Transplant, Cell and Gene Therapy Update Day – Tuesday 25^th November – In Person LWB0 Home – Hartley Taylor
• The Use of Cell Therapies for Autoimmune Diseases: CAR-T from Biology to Clinical Application – 16^th and 17^th October – In Person https://bsbmtct.org/events/the-use-of-cell-therapies-for-autoimmune-diseases-car-t-from-biology-to-clinical-application/

We are always looking for ways to improve and support our community. Please contact Julia Lee if you have any suggestions/comments: Julia.lee@kcl.ac.uk

Our Very Best Wishes, Deborah Richardson, Eduardo Olavarria, Fiona Dignan, Harpreet Kaur, Victoria Potter, David Reynolds & Julia Lee