This section provides you with information about the Worldwide Network for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (WBMT). The WBMT is a non-profit scientific organisation with the mission to promote excellence in stem cell transplantation, stem cell donation and cellular therapy. WMDA is one of the initiators of the WBMT Network together with EBMT, CIBMTR and the APBMT.

Press release from WBMT (January 30, 2013)

• Press release
• FACT sheet
• Distribution
• Members WBMT

Introduction WBMT - Link to WBMT general slides.

Haematopoietic stem cell transplantation has advanced to the level of being the only curative treatment for many haematological and non-haematological diseases. The frequency of stem cell transplantation varies considerably among the world regions and is dependent upon the national income and the resources devoted to health expenditures.
The primary mission of the Worldwide Network for Blood & Marrow Transplantation, a federation of nineteen (19) international societies involved in stem cell transplantation around the world, is to establish broad standards and assist countries with limited resources in development and performance of this curative treatment.

WBMT Executive Committee Members

• President: Dietger Niederwieser, Germany (EBMT)
• President-elect: Yoshihisa Kodera, Japan (APBMT)
• Secretary/Treasurer: Dennis Confer, United States (CIBMTR)
• Vice President:
• Position Holder: Hildegard Greinix, Austria (WMDA)

Members of the WBMT and links to the WBMT Member Organisations

• AABB - American Association of Blood Banks
  
• ABMTRR - Australasian Bone Marrow Transplant Recipient Registry
• APBMT - Asia Pacific Blood and Marrow Tranplantation
  
• ASBMT - American Society for Blood and Marrow Tranplantation
• ASHI - American Society for Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics
• BMDW - Bone Marrow Donors Worldwide
  
• CIBMTR - Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research
• EBMT - European Group for Blood and Marrow Transplantation
• EFI - European Federation for Immunogenetics
• EMBMT - Eastern Mediterranean Blood and Marrow Transplantation
  
• EMDIS - European Marrow Donor Information System
• ESH - European School of Haematology
  
• Eurocord
  
• FACT - Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy
• ISBT - International Society for Blood Transfusion
• ISCT - International Society for Cellular Therapy
• JACIE - Joint Accreditation Committee ISCT & EBMT
• LABMT - Latin America Blood and Marrow Transplantation Group
• Netcord
• WMDA - World Marrow Donor Association

Projects of the WBMT

The work of the WBMT is carried out by five standing committees in which the WMDA actively participates (Recipient Issues, Donor Issues, Graft Processing Issues, Accreditation, Dissemination and Education). WBMT projects reported:

• Publication in the scientific journal JAMA
• Letter to DG Sanco (EU) about coding and labelling of cellular therapy Products
• Education tools for inspection, quality plan and publication (AHCTA)
  
• Crosswalks of standards among the different accrediting organisations (AHCTA)
• Donor outcome workshop
• Global Transplant Centre Number (GTCN)
• Workshop in association with the WHO in Vietnam
• Annual scientific sessions during the tandem meetings and EBMT
• Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell donation: standardized assessment of donor outcome data—A WBMT consensus document

WBMT Activities - Meeting in Hanoi (November 10-11, 2011)

The WBMT, in association with the World Health Organization (WHO), organized a meeting in Vietnam with the participation of health authorities from at least sixteen (16) countries with restricted resources and low transplant frequency (Gratwohl JAMA 2010). The goal of the workshop was to guide physicians to optimize their current stem cell transplantation activities and also to create awareness among policy makers about the value of stem cell transplantation so that these activities might be expanded. Representatives from established transplant centers in countries with limited resources has also participated, with the goal of optimizing their own programs and guiding countries without experience to establish effective and resource sparing programs. If you would like to know more about this workshop you can visit the WBMT website.

WMDA representatives in the WBMT

• First WMDA Representative WBMT Board: Michael Boo, United States
• Alternate WMDA Representative WMBT Board: Machteld Oudshoorn, The Netherlands
• Co-chair Donor Issues Standing Committee: Vanderson Rocha, France
• AHCTA: Nicoletta Sacchi (Italy), Irene Andersen (Norway), Pam Robinett (United States)