Presidential Address: International Society for Apheresis: 2019-2021: Updated on 12/18/2020
It is my great honor to be elected President of the International Society for Apheresis (ISFA) for the 2019-2021 period. ISFA is an international organization that brings together over 500 physicians and investigators from more than 50 countries who are committed to the development, promotion and clinical application of apheresis technologies.
These last few months have seen a sharp increase in the use of specialized blood purification techniques as the COVID 19 pandemic has been identified as the cause of deadly syndromes of septic shock, fulminant cytokine production, severe pulmonary insufficiency and widespread intravascular coagulation. Specialized apheresis techniques such as the targeted removal of endotoxin and cytokines have been employed worldwide. Some of these techniques have been heretofore unavailable in the US and the COVID pandemic has convinced the FDA to allow their use on a compassionate basis. Added to techniques of targeted toxin removal is the collection and administration of convalescent plasma to passively provide protective antibodies obtained from COVID 19 patients who have survived their infections. The increased use of these varied apheresis techniques will undoubtedly add immeasurably to our understanding of how to remove or negate the deleterious effects of systemic inflammatory mediators.
As the ongoing pandemic continues to dictate a reassessment of our original plans, ISFA has decided to pursue a combined “virtual” meeting with our colleagues in the European chapter of ISFA (eISFA). As such, ISFA is now committed to join with eISFA to present an updated “virtual” meeting that will highlight the recent advances in apheresis based treatments that have highlighted the new challenges that are presented by the ongoing pandemic. The meeting is scheduled for March 17-20, 2021 (https://www.e-isfa2021.eu/)
As the President of ISFA, I am pleased to invite all those with interest in apheresis to join our Society at this time of increased activity and innovation.
Sincerely,
Andre A. Kaplan, MD,FASN
Professor Emeritus
University of Conneticut School of Medicine
For members
International Society For Apheresis
Postcode: 520-2192
Shiga University of Medical Science,
Seta Tsukinowa-cho, Otsu,
Shiga 520-2192, Japan
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International Society For Apheresis ISFA Headquarters Shiga University of Medical Science
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