ASTCT’s Fundamentals of HCT Training Course: What to Know Ahead of the Meeting

The American Society for Transplantation and Cellular Therapy (ASTCT) is kicking off a 2-day virtual course to provide essential education around the process of using hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) in the clinical care of patients. Beginning on Friday, April 28, 2023, the aptly titled 2023 Fundamentals of HCT Training Course will feature a variety of speakers and experts who will seek to help attendees develop or enhance their skills in the treatment of patients undergoing these procedures.

First investigated in humans in the 1950s, the beginnings of HSCT are rooted in observational studies in mouse models that show that healthy bone marrow component infusion into myelosuppressed bone marrow can induce recovery of its function in the recipient.¹ After building on this foundation of research, the first successful transplant of this kind was performed in 1957 by E. Donnall Thomas, MD, for which he was later awarded a Nobel Prize.² Now, though, the procedure is far more commonplace in the clinic—estimates from the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research (CIBMTR) report that more than 8000 allogenic transplants were performed in the United States in 2016.³ Thus, continued education on its use and the focused improvement on the process involved—which can be complex, at times—is essential to the field.

The ASTCT’s Fundamentals of HCT course will include a case-based learning model in order to underline the application of the concepts being taught through didactic lecture, and will hold a strong focus on the pharmacotherapeutic management of patients. The target audience for this course includes new practitioners, residents, fellows, pharmacists, and nurses or those training in this discipline. Notably, each day of the course will feature a 30-minute roundtable discussion with all the day’s faculty.

The live sessions will begin at 8:00 AM ET, with the opening remarks set to be given by Lauren Ice, PharmD, BCOP, BCPS a clinical pharmacy specialist at Corewell Health in Grand Rapids, Michigan, who specializes in hematopoietic stem cell transplant. She will be followed immediately by an introductory session from Jason Ernstberger, PharmD, BCOP, of the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, in Ohio; and a session recapping the mobilization of this field of medicine, given by Erika Wass, PharmD, BCOP, from the Loma Linda University Medical Center, in California.

Additional topics being covered are acute and chronic graft versus host disease, infection risk with HCT, thrombotic microangiopathy, and maintenance strategies, among many others. Other select sessions slated for the 2-day conference event include the following:

• Principles of Conditioning in Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation
  Taiga Nishihori, MD, of Moffitt Cancer Center, in Tampa, FL
• Special Populations in Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation: Pediatrics
  Susie Long, PharmD, of University of Minnesota, in Minneapolis
• Long Term Complications and Survivorship in Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation
  Ila Saunders, PharmD, BCOP, of UC San Diego Skaggs School of Pharmacy, in California
• Vaccinations in Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapy
  Susan Prockop, MD, of Boston Children’s Hospital, in Massachusetts

The Fundamentals of HCT Training Course will offer attendees a maximum of 13.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™ or 13.0 contact hours (0.13 CEUs) of continuing pharmacy education credit for their participation in the live activity.

The ASTCT is an international professional membership association of more than 3600 physicians, investigators, and other health care professionals representing nearly 50 countries. The organization’s mission is dedicated to improving the application and success of blood and marrow transplantation and related cellular therapies. Learn more about the organization here: www.astct.org

REFERENCES
1. Barnes DW, Corp MJ, Loutit JF, Neal FE. Treatment of murine leukaemia with X rays and homologous bone marrow; preliminary communication. Br Med J. 1956;2(4993):626-7. doi:10.1136/bmj.2.4993.626
2. Thomas ED, Lochtte Jr HL, Lu WC, Ferrebee JW. Intravenous infusion of bone marrow in patients receiving radiation and chemotherapy. N Engl J Med. 1957;257(11):491-6. doi:10.1056/NEJM195709122571102
3. Pasquini MC, Wang Z, Horowitz MM, Gale RP. 2010 report from the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research (CIBMTR): current uses and outcomes of hematopoietic cell transplants for blood and bone marrow disorders. Clin Transpl. 2010:87-105.