The Tenth International Symposium on Blood Substitutes was held June 12–15, 2005, on the campus of Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, USA. Over 200 individuals attended the two-and-one-half-day meeting where 5 plenary sessions, 5 workshops, 10 forum sessions, and 2 panel sessions were supplemented with more than 60 poster presentations. The goal of the symposium was to exchange new developments as well as to discuss challenging problems that are unsolved. The global representation at this meeting (12 countries from North and South America, Europe, Asia, and Africa) indicated the high level of interest and growth of the field, reflecting a universal, ongoing perceived need for clinically usable blood substitute products. The presence of many of the pioneers in the field afforded ample opportunity for formal and informal interaction, an opportunity to gain insight from those who had spent an academic lifetime searching for answers to the most basic problems in the field. In nine previous ISBS over the last 20 years an exciting opportunity to exchange ideas in pursuit of clinically usable blood substitutes was provided. With this gathering, the 10th ISBS, we once again had another exciting moment to assess progress toward that goal. Indeed, technology, scientific knowledge, and scientific thought have brought us closer to usable “blood substitutes.” Previously, only the volume and oxygen carrying properties of blood were considered for major discussion. Now the role of oxygen carrying solutions as “oxygen therapeutics” is expanding interest in the development of substitutes for platelets and clotting factors. Further, bone marrow stem cells and their potential for replacing lost or deficient blood components and other organs were also discussed. Of note, the development of substitutes for clotting factors and bone marrow stem cells were discussed for the first time in the 20-year history of this symposium.
Within the sciences “blood substitutes” is a relatively small field. However, at this meeting established and new investigators provided us nearly 150 abstracts for consideration. The quality of the work from participants from virtually all corners of the globe was exciting and stimulating, reflecting and reinforcing a perceived universal clinical need. There is a new vibrancy within the field that can only serve to further develop safe and effective products that will eventually improve the quality of care we deliver to our patients.
A. Gerson Greenburg, M.D. Ph.D. President, Xth ISBS
Hae W. Kim, Ph.D. Program Chair, Xth ISBS