11th International Conference of the Asia Pacific Association of Surgical Tissue Banks
Mumbai, India
24th – 26th November 2006
Report of Organising Secretary
It was indeed a privilege for the Tata Memorial Hospital to welcome the Tissue Banking community to Mumbai, India for the 11th International Conference of the Asia Pacific Association of Surgical Tissue Banks (APASTB 2006) held from the 24th - 26th November 2006. We are sincerely grateful to the Asia Pacific Association for giving us the honour of hosting this multidisciplinary conference for the first time in India.
Four years ago in Korea when I agreed to host this conference in India it was my dream to give my Indian colleagues an opportunity to taste the rich and varied flavours of tissue banking from different parts of the world. For the most part, in our country tissue banking is practiced much like a cottage industry due to the absence of specific regulations. It was my hope that hosting APASTB 2006 in India would not only create professional awareness about quality assurance and promote the establishment of more tissue banks, but also set the stage for national standards and regulations. On the other hand I hoped to also encourage the few isolated banks in the country that are doing excellent clinical work by providing them a forum to share their achievements and network with experts from overseas.
Translating a dream into reality however, involved long months of planning and many sleepless nights, a good number over finances and attendance. At APASTB 2004 in Hong Kong, many of us were worried about the future of APASTB with the conclusion of the IAEA programme and its funding. Tissue Banks are not an attractive proposition for pharmaceutical sponsorship especially in the Asia Pacific Region where tissue banking is still in the nascent phase. The big question was: Would we be able to garner local interest in the field and finance an international event? APASTB 2006 has shown us that the answer is a resounding, “Yes!” As Dr. Chang Joon Yim from Korea, President of APASTB said in his opening remarks at the business meeting, APASTB 2006 was a “turning point” in the history of the Association. The overwhelming response both from delegates and sponsors was proof that Tissue Banking has come of age in the Asia Pacific Region and can stand on its own feet.
In keeping with our practice at Tata Memorial Hospital the inauguration of APASTB 2006 was short and simple. It began with the traditional lighting of the diya (lamp) which symbolises both the sacred light that we invite to illumine important occasions, as well as the coming together of diverse peoples and organisations for a common purpose. The wicks were lit by the Chief Guest, Dr. S. Banerjee, Director, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai, an arm of the Department of Atomic Energy that was instrumental in establishing the Tissue Bank at TMH, Dr. C. Yim, President of the Asia Pacific Association of Surgical Tissue Banks, Dr. K. A. Dinshaw, Patron, APASTB 2006 and Director of the host institution, Tata Memorial Centre, Dr. B. Bagdi, Joint Director, Health Services, Government of Maharashtra, representing our government’s patronage and Dr. K. B. Sainis, Chairperson of the Organising Committee, and Director, Bio-medical Group, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre.
The tone for the proceedings was set by Dr. Banerjee whose inaugural address focused on the theme of the Conference, “Issues on Tissues”. He drew attention to the increasing number of cells and tissues currently being banked, the recent initiatives in stem cell research, the need for further research to develop appropriate assays for transplantation tolerance, the variety of biomaterials that are now available and the urgency for regulations that reflect the plethora of ethical, legal, technical and medical issues raised.
In his presidential address Dr. Yim recalled the pioneering role of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in the establishment of tissue banks in the Asia Pacific Region. While acknowledging the new techniques, materials, processing methods and new packaging systems now available he cautioned that these newly adopted systems and materials also have disadvantages and complications. He then informed the gathering of the birth of the World Union of Tissue and Cell Banking Associations (WUTCBA) at the 4th World Congress of Tissue Banking, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 2005. This Union is a free federation of the Associations of America, the Asia Pacific Region, Australia, Europe and Latin America. The members of the Union would be considered members also of the constituent regional associations for scientific events. The main aims of the Union would be to exchange information on events, activities, standards, regulations, education and research, to coordinate the activities of the member associations and to act as a global scientific and professional counterpart in cell and tissue banking for the WHO and other global health organisation.
The Abstract Book was released by Dr. Bagdi who highlighted the health situation in Maharashtra and outlined the government’s plans for setting up a tissue bank in the State. His presence was a public affirmation of the Government’s support for the Conference and all it stands for in terms of promoting cell and tissue transplantation in the country.
At the inauguration three stalwarts of APASTB were honoured posthumously. Dr. Hudson Silva from Sri Lanka, was remembered for his unparalleled contribution to eye banking and his close association with the IAEA programme for tissue banking. Dr. Abdurrahman from Indonesia, past President of APASTB, was commended for his dedication to tissue banking evident in his promotion of tissue banking in his country and his determination to fulfil his presidential duties at the meeting in Hong Kong despite his ill health. Dr. Naozer Kavarana from India, who was member of the Board of APASTB since its inception, was lauded for his active involvement in the IAEA programme for tissue banking since 1974. Awards were presented to Mrs. Irangani Silva, Dr. (Mrs.) Kavarana and Dr. Menkher Manjas, representative of Mrs. Abdurrahman. A minute of silence was also observed in memory of Dr. Abdurrahman and Dr. Anna Dziedic- Goklawska who had both recently passed away.
The conference brought together scientists and surgeons from around the world engaged in the banking of musculoskeletal and, cardiovascular tissues, soft tissues, cord blood and reproductive cells. The faculty consisted of 34 members bringing their expertise from Australia, France, Hong Kong, India, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, South Africa, Thailand and USA. There were 212 participants with 161 delegates from different parts of India and 51 delegates from Algeria, Australia, Belgium, Bulgaria, France, Indonesia, Korea, Mexico, Poland, Singapore, Slovakia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, U.K. and USA. Unfortunately, our delegates from Bangladesh, China, Japan were unable to attend due to unforeseeable circumstances. Dr. Rudi von Versen one of our faculty members sadly took ill and could not attend. We also missed Professor Glyn Phillips, the Father of Tissue Banking in this region. He was unable to be present because of an illness in the family. Students were well represented and the best poster award was intended to encourage them. It is after all they who will take the baton forward.
Through this conference we tried to connect the different strands of tissue banking and weave them into a single but multi-hued tapestry. Thus in addition to sessions on tissue donation strategies, marketing, legal and ethical aspects, tissue processing, radiation sterilisation and quality assurance, our sessions also included immunology, sperm banking and heart valve banking. On days 2 and 3 speciality sessions included symposia on musculoskeletal allografts, stem cells and skin replacements and a video workshop on the clinical use of grafts in oral surgery which was well attended by post graduate students. The hands-on ophthalmic workshop on limbal stem procedures was the first of its kind to have ever been held and was attended by 23 participants. Corneal surgeons who missed the workshop have requested that another one be held.
Another important strategy was moving the various banking activities out of their subject specialities like ophthalmology, orthopaedic surgery, oral surgery, plastic surgery and cardiovascular surgery onto a common platform – “tissue banking”. This enabled an exchange of knowledge between research scientists and clinicians so that all could move forward together as well as address common challenges like the need for regulations, greater public and professional awareness and lack of funding.
The diversity and high quality of the scientific programme was much appreciated, and thanks are due to the contributions and stimulating interventions of the faculty and delegates. Many delegates expressed their gratitude for this opportunity to share their clinical work as well as to interact with so many international experts from different specialities under one umbrella.
We received a number of letters congratulating us for a well run conference and the TMH venue. None of it would have possible without the support of Dr. Dinshaw who generously made the resources and facilities of the Tata Memorial Hospital available to us, and the team work of the Organising Committee chaired by the resourceful Dr. Sainis. Maximum credit is due to the core group that worked behind the scenes - the Tissue Bank staff, a small band of six that has toiled tirelessly over the past one year to make APASTB 2006 a reality.
On behalf of the Organising Committee I would like to thank all those who participated in APASTB 2006 for making this conference a success by their presence and their contribution to the scientific deliberations. It was wonderful meeting old friends again, this time against the back drop of bharat natyam (Indian dance) and tandoori chicken. Some of my colleagues from other specialities commented about the family spirit of the participants at this tissue banking conference particularly evident at the conference dinner with the laughter, dancing and the impromptu country performances. I hope we will never lose this spirit. I do hope that the delegates have taken back warm and pleasant memories of Mumbai and India, and scientific gems which they will polish with their own wisdom, experience and expertise to offer them again at the next Asia Pacific meeting in Malaysia in 2008. Till we all meet again.
