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IPFA/PEI 31st International Workshop on Surveillance and Screening of Blood-borne Pathogens

On the 14 & 15 of May, the 31st IPFA/PEI Workshop took place at the beautiful city of Heidelberg.

The workshop kicked off on 14 May, with introductions from IPFA and our local hosts from PEI and Robert Koch Institute in Germany. The first day of the event featured a great mix of knowledge and insights, starting with a keynote lecture highlighting challenges for safety ahead, and continuing with several sessions on (re-)emerging viruses, on why and how parvovirus is monitored, and how syphilis is still a concern. Overall, it was a great mix of scientific presentations and engaging discussions with the 13 expert speakers and panelists.

Once again, the IPFA Award was presented during the workshop. This year, we wanted to celebrate and reward Dr. Johannes Blümel, Head of Virus Safety Section at the Paul-Ehrlich-Institut in Langen, Germany. This recognition is a testament to his groundbreaking contributions to the viral safety of blood products and plasma-derived medicines.

To top the day off, participants enjoyed a memorable dinner on a boat, cruising the serene waters and taking in the magnificent views. This was an ideal way of ending the day and connect with one another.

Following an eventful first day, we had our second day filled with 4 ground-breaking sessions, starting with industry leading manufacturers presenting their recent developments, initiatives and activities. Strategies to maintain the safety of blood transfusion were the subject of lively discussion including the role of pathogen reduction/inactivation technologies. We connected with learnings from the past from the recent UK blood inquiry, moving into new possible transmissible agents such as amyloid beta and potential risks from live vaccines. Finally the workshop considered the potential contribution of blood donor screening to large-scale epidemiological surveillance systems and the emerging role and development of AI in this field.

Sadly, all things must come to end…but we finished off in style! After the closing remarks, our attendees could finish their discussions, talk to new and old acquaintances and wish each other Auf Wiedersehen at the farewell reception.

Thanks to everyone who contributed to and participated in this year’s workshop. 

Proceedings of the Workshop will become available on the 28th of May.

Organised and Supported by:

Picture gallery

Event partner(s):

Roche, sponsor of IPFA Events, International Plasma and Fractionation Association
Abbott Diagnostics sponsor IPFA Events, the International Plasma and Fractionation Association
Grifols sponsor events IPFA, the International Plasma and Fractionation Association

Registration

The registration fee includes full attendance to the Workshop, coffee breaks and lunch on both days and access to the on-line proceedings after the event.

Participants from low-income economies or lower-middle-income economies can benefit from a discounted registration fee. You can find the list of eligible countries on the website of the World Bank here

Student fee: Individuals must present proof of fulltime enrolment at a recognized university/institute at both the time of registration and during the Workshop dates. During the registration process, the applicant must upload a letter signed by the head of the relevant university/institute department and stamped with the university/institute official stamp.

Hotel

The Workshop will be hosted at the Hilton Heidelberg Hotel. The hotel is conveniently located near the train station and the old town of Heidelberg. Rooms are available upon availability.

Book hotel accommodation
Registration Fees Early fee
Until 13 March 		 Regular fee
14 March – 30 April		 Late fee
From 1 May 
IPFA Members € 545 € 595 € 645
Non-members € 845 € 895 € 945
Low/Lower-Middle Income Countries € 225 € 275 € 325
Student* € 150 € 200 € 250
Workshop dinner 14 May € 85 € 85 € 85

All deadlines mentioned end at 23:59 hours, CEST. 

 

Corporate Partners

We would like to take this opportunity to invite you to be one of the corporate sponsors for this event!

As a corporate sponsor you can be assured that our fully on-site event offers excellent networking opportunities with recognised international experts. We expect around 200 delegates from the European and international scientific community, blood transfusion services, regulatory agencies, plasma fractionators and manufacturers and distributors of plasmapheresis related devices. The structure of the meeting will allow time for discussion and interaction with all interested participants, including your own experts, should they wish to attend.

The meeting, taking take place at the Hilton Heidelberg, facilitates dialogues with guest speakers and other delegates both in the meeting forum and during breaks and social events.

There are a number of sponsorship categories, to profile and represent your company. For more information, please reach out to us at Workshop@ipfa-events.nl

Thank you to our sponsors:

Abbott

Fresenius-Kabi

Grifols

Roche

Event partner(s):

Roche, sponsor of IPFA Events, International Plasma and Fractionation Association
Abbott Diagnostics sponsor IPFA Events, the International Plasma and Fractionation Association
Grifols sponsor events IPFA, the International Plasma and Fractionation Association

Programme / Proceedings

Wednesday 14 May

09:00 - 10:00 Session 1
Welcome, Introduction and Keynote
Leni von Bonsdorff, IPFA & Johannes Blümel, PEI
10:00 - 10:30
Coffee Break
10:30 - 12:15 Session 2
Emerging/Re-emerging Infections
Christian Renaud, Canada
12:15 - 12:30 Session 3
IPFA Award
With the annual IPFA award, IPFA wants to recognise a person who has made exceptional contributions to the field of plasma collection, plasma fractionation, the manufacturing and provision of plasma derived medicinal products, patient care, safety and transfusion medicine. This year the award went to Dr. Johannes Blümel, Head of Virus Safety Section at the Paul-Ehrlich-Institut in Langen, Germany. Read more in our press release: https://ipfa.nl/dr-johannes-blumel-receives-the-2025-ipfa-award/
Leni von Bonsdorff & Stuart Chesneau
12:30 - 14:00
Lunch Break
14:00 - 15:00 Session 4
Parvovirus B19
Hans Zaaijer, the Netherlands
15:00 - 15:30
Coffee Break
15:30 - 16:45 Session 5
Syphilis returns (again)
Heli Harvala, United Kingdom
18:30 - 22:30
Workshop Dinner

Thursday 15 May

09:00 - 10:00 Session 6
Manufacturers Session
Albert Farrugia, IPFA
  • 09:00 - 09:20 Roche - Arboviruses: Existing and emerging threats to the blood supply; are you prepared? - Ellen Ordinario, Research Director, Roche Diagnostics Solutions
  • 09:20 - 09:40 Abbott - Empowering Plasma Donor Health - Jason Kang, MD Director Medical and Scientific Affairs
  • 09:40 - 10:00 Grifols - Increasing Efficiency of Donor Screening with Multiplex Nucleic Acid Testing - Jeff Linnen, Ph.D. Vice President, NAT Assay Development. Grifols Diagnostic Solutions Inc.
10:00 - 10:30
Coffee Break
10:30 - 11:45 Session 7
Transfused blood product safety margins: limitations of current mitigation strategies and the path forward
Thomas Kreil, Austria
11:45 - 13:00
Lunch Break
13:00 - 14:15 Session 8
Update Session
Mike Busch, United States
14:15 - 14:30
Short Break
14:30 - 15:30 Session 9
Optimizing Large-Scale Surveillance Systems and Response Mechanisms
Mike Busch, United States
15:30 - 16:00
Panel Discussion - Advancing EID Surveillance: Combining large-scale donor data, omics technologies, and AI
Mike Busch & Peter Simmonds
16:00 - 17:00
Closing remarks and Farewell drinks

Contact

Venue

The Workshop will take place at Hilton Heidelberg. Located near the riverfront, attractions, and transit stops; including a bus stop directly in front of the building. The historic sites, shops, and museums of Heidelberg Old Town are just 1 km away.

Kurfürsten-Anlage 1
69115 Heidelberg
Germany
https://www.hilton.com/en/hotels/hdbbwhi-hilton-heidelberg/

 

Travel

Heidelberg is considered one of the most beautiful cities in Germany. Located in the centre of Germany, it is easy to reach by car, train and plane.

From Frankfurt airport, there is a shuttle service taking you directly to Hilton Heidelberg. You can find the schedule and prices for the shuttle service here. Please note tickets need to be reserved upfront to secure your seat.

From Stuttgart airport, it is only a 40-minute train ride. In general, Heidelberg is easy to reach by train. Visit the website to find the best train schedule.