EYSINS, Switzerland and RARITAN, N.J. – Quotient Limited (NASDAQ:QTNT), a commercial-stage diagnostics company, and Ortho Clinical Diagnostics (“Ortho”), a global leader of in vitro diagnostics, today announced they will jointly host a company-sponsored satellite symposium, “Improving Patient Care with Better-matched Blood”, on Tuesday, June 20 from 12:00-1:30 p.m., during the 27th Regional Congress of the International Society of Blood Transfusion (ISBT). The ISBT Regional Congress takes place this week in Copenhagen, Denmark.
“The symposium will feature expert perspectives on the limitations of current immunohematology, or blood-matching, practices and potential changes that could dramatically influence future standards of care in transfusion medicine,” said Heidi Casaletto, vice president of Transfusion Medicine at Ortho.
“Better matching of donor units to patients is imperative in reducing alloimmunization during transfusions. Alloimmunization poses a threat to patient safety as well as compatibility issues in subsequent transfusions, resulting in a significant economic impact on blood establishments and hospitals,” added Paul Cowan, chairman and chief executive officer at Quotient.
Speakers include:
- Dr. Jonathan Wallis, Newcastle Hospital, UK: “Antibodies and the Haematology Patient”
- Dr. Jill Storry, Lund University, Sweden: “Strategies to Provide Phenotyped Blood from a Blood Centre”
- Prof. David Roberts, John Radcliffe Hospital, University of Oxford, UK: “The Future of Blood Group Matching”
During the symposium, which will be moderated by Dr. Geoffrey David Poole (an external consultant for Ortho), speakers will address the role of extended phenotyping to better match donor units to patients, reducing the risk of alloimmunization. They will also share examples of patient matching and advanced donor identification initiatives they have implemented.
Quotient will also be exhibiting at the Congress (booth no. C3.418).
New Solutions for the Global Transfusion Diagnostics Market
In January 2015, Quotient and Ortho announced an agreement to bring MosaiQ™, an innovative transfusion medicine diagnostic platform, to the market. The new technology promises to allow improved time to test results and more comprehensive matching of donor and patient blood, beyond what is available in current transfusion diagnostic instruments.
