Vanderbilt University Medical Center and Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne look to advance apheresis medicine by leveraging technology and new patient programs

LAKEWOOD, Colo. - Friday, December 12th 2014 [ME NewsWire]

(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Vanderbilt University Medical Center and The Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne, Australia (RCH) are driving toward new possibilities with help from Terumo BCT’s 2014 Advancing Apheresis Awards. The award program is the first in Terumo BCT’s industry to fund education grants for the advancement of apheresis. Garrett Booth, MD, MS, Assistant Professor at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, and Anthea Greenway, MBBS FRACP FRCPA, Paediatric Haematologist at the RCH, each received $10,000 for their separate projects.

Booth is researching the potential of a mobile application to educate patients, nurses, clinical providers and transfusion medicine trainees to raise the awareness and understanding of apheresis medicine. Greenway will use the educational grant funding to establish standard operating procedures for red blood cell exchange at the RCH and improve educational support provided to children with Sickle Cell Disease.

KEY FACTS ABOUT THE 2014 ADVANCING APHERESIS AWARDS:

    The 2014 Advancing Apheresis Award program was created to support the industry by funding education
    Terumo BCT’s Advancing Apheresis Awards is a global grant program
    After reviewing the applications, Terumo BCT chose to double its initial commitment and award two $10,000 grants
    Vanderbilt University Medical Center will explore the efficacy of a mobile application to educate patients, nurses, clinical providers and transfusion medicine trainees about apheresis
    The Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne will work to establish new standard operating procedures for red blood cell exchange at the RCH; The hospital will also look to provide educational opportunities for children with Sickle Cell Disease and their families while the children undergo chronic red blood cell exchanges at the RCH
    The grant recipients were chosen by an independent global grant committee:

    Zbigniew Szczepiorkowski, MD, PhD, Director, Transfusion Medicine Service & Cellular Therapy Center, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center; American Society for Apheresis (ASFA) Past President; Lead Contributor to 2010 ASFA Guidelines (U.S.)
    Giorgio Baldanzi, MD, Medical Director, HEMOBANCO (Brazil)
    Aleksandra Babic, RN, European Institute of Oncology (EIO); President-Elect, European Group for Bone Marrow Transplant (EBMT) Nurse Group (Italy)
    Ian Lewis, MB, BS, PhD, Head, Acute Leukaemia Laboratory, Center for Cancer Biology; Medical Manager, Therapeutic Products Facility (TPF), Royal Adelaide Hospital (Australia)
    Terumo BCT had no impact on the committee’s decisions

KEY QUOTES:

Bob Sullivan, Vice President, Therapeutics, Terumo BCT

“The more we help support apheresis education, the more momentum these important therapies may have in healthcare. Dr. Booth and Dr. Greenway have shown their pioneering spirits for greater impacts, and the whole applicant pool exceeded our expectations. These initiatives could ultimately have a positive effect on patient care.”

Anthea Greenway, MBBS FRACP FRCPA, Paediatric Haematologist, The Royal Children’s Hospital

“With this grant, I will work to improve access to educational opportunities for children and families receiving apheresis at The Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne. New educational opportunities provided during this essential medical treatment will lead to more knowledgeable patients along with informed and engaged families.”

Garrett Booth, MD, MS, Assistant Professor at Vanderbilt University Medical Center

“Technology and education form a powerful combination that can give healthcare professionals a better understanding of apheresis. Terumo BCT’s award will help make a mobile application to raise awareness about the abilities of these amazing therapies.”

About Terumo BCT:

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.

Contacts
Terumo BCT
D.J. Martin, +1-303-239-2060
Global Corporate Communications
press@terumobct.com

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