From September 13-15, participants from 29 countries gathered in Miami Beach for the 2019 Cord Blood Connect international congress to connect on cord blood.

Professionals, doctors, and researchers from across the industry came together to discuss important topics involving cord blood including banking, regenerative medicine, cellular manufacturing, quality control, donor selection, clinical trials, applications, challenges with regulatory, and more. This year it was critical to conference organizers to develop sessions centered around what is important when it comes to cord blood and not make it all about what’s new. To sum it up, conference organizers delivered, and it was well-received.

This year’s highlights included a keynote presentation by Dr. Hal Broxmeyer, who also received the CBA Lifetime Achievement Award presented by Eliane Gluckman, Mathew Farrow, and Joanne Kurtzberg. Also recognized was Anthony Filiano, Ph.D., assistant professor at the Marcus Center for Cellular cures at Duke University, who was presented with the Research Scholar Award. In this year’s President’s Session, Peter Marks, MD, PhD, director of the FDA Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, discussed issues related to clinical trials, ethics, and regulations. ViaCord’s own Director of Medical and Scientific Affairs, Kate Falcon Girard, RN MSN attended and spoke at the congress as part of a panel on the quality of cord blood inventory and how to maintain and improve it.

It was exciting to have the opportunity to not only attend, but also speak at such a great venue. The congress was a great way to reconnect with colleagues and meet new faces – it’s a thrilling time to be a part of the cord blood industry.

– Kate Falcon Girard, RN MSN

Attendees had the opportunity to partake in various educational and training workshops as well as poster sessions, abstract presentations, and exhibits. Well-known industry names and newer faces networked, celebrating milestones and cutting-edge work being made with cord blood. The enthusiasm from everyone who attended and presented played a key role in making this year’s Cord Blood Connect a success.

Meeting abstracts from the congress can be viewed on Stem Cells Translational Medicine. If you didn’t have the chance to attend and would like to check them out – or if you did attend and can’t wait to see them again – they can be viewed here.