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VIII Congress of the Latin American Association of Tissue Banks

Mexico 2022.

The VIII congress of the Latin American Association of Tissue Banks was held at the National Institute of Rehabilitation LGII,

The Latin American Association of Tissue Banks ALABAT, held its VIII congress in Mexico on november 16 to 18, under the institutional sponsorship of the National Rehabilitation Institute. The inaugural event was chaired by Dr. Carlos Javier Pineda Villaseñor, General Director of INR-LGII, with the presence of Dr. José Salvador Aburto, General Director of the National Transplant Center (CENATRA), the representation of the German Society of Tissue Transplantation (DGTG) and the representation of the World Union of Tisse Banking Associations (WUTBA) and the governing body of the Institute. Academics from the Mexican Academy of Surgery and the Faculty of Medicine also attended as special guests. Virtually, there was the representation of the Pan American Health Organization, through Dr. Mauricio Beltrán Durán and the participation of the WHO through Dr. Chatzixiros Estratios, adviser on organ, cell, blood and products of human origin.

Opening Ceremony of the VIII Congress of ALABAT.

At the opening of the forum, Dr. Francisco Martínez Flores, head of the Division of the Skin and Tissue Bank of the INR_LGII and president of the ALABAT 2020-2022, underlined the mission of association from its foundation in the year 2000, as an academic and scientific group whose primary objective is to update and professionalize activities related to the donation, processing, and transplantation of tissues and cells in Latin America, calling for the unity of all Latin American banks to standardize the process and make regulatory proposals in each Latin American country, as well as public thanks to all the personalities and institutions that made this event possible in Mexico, especially Institutional Sponsorship of the Luis Guillermo Ibarra Ibarra National Rehabilitation Institute, under the direction of Dr. Carlos Pineda Villaseñor also highlight the participation and sponsorship of the World Union of Tissue Bank Associations through its current Secretary General, Martin Borgel from Germany, and Dr. Marisa Herson from Australia, outgoing WUTBA Secretary.

Dr. Carlos Pineda Villaseñor delivered the welcome message to all the attendees in person and online, highlighting the positioning and trajectory of the INR-LGII Skin and Tissue Bank, as a center of National and international Reference in matters of research, assistance, education for health and promotion of culture de tissue donation and transplantation, making clear their interest in INR-LGII actively participating in international collaboration programs.

In his message, Dr. Salvador Aburto Morales, Director of CENATRA, highlighted the important role of ALABAT in Latin America and the leadership of INR-LGII as the first tissue bank of the federal health system. He reiterate his commitment to support the proposals for operational regulation in Mexico of tissue banks, and also joint the effort to generate improvement programs for different countries. with ALABAT.

Academic-Scientific Program.

During the event, 8 thematic work blocks were developed with 37 presentations, which included Regulatory Policies in tissue banks, Quality Control in tissue banks; bank of ocular tissue, amniotic membrane and skin; skeletal muscle tissue, cardio vascular tissue, new composite and complex tissue transplantation techniques and culminated with a block of global initiatives to encourage the activity of tissue banks in Latin America.

The academic-scientific program included the participation of representative institutions of INCUCAI of Argentina, CENATRA of Mexico, the Hannover Tissue Bank, Germany, IDCBIS of Colombia; from the United States CDC; the Global Alliance of Eye Bank Associations (GAEBA); San Borja Children's Hospital in Peru, The World Health Organization (WHO) and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO).

The event brought together in person and virtually a total of 140 attendees, with more than 40 professors among them; Diletta Trojan, president of the European Association of Tissue Banks (EATB), Jacinto Sánchez Ibañez member of the Spanish Association of Tissue Banks (AETB), Professor Dr. Heri Suroto, outgoing president of the Asia Pacific Association of Tissue Banks of Tissues (APASTB); as well as the representative delegations of Italy, Argentina, Germany, Colombia, Brazil, Uruguay, Ecuador, Peru, Mexico, Indonesia, USA, Scotland, United Kingdom, Belgium and Australia.

The initiative to encourage global and equitable access to safe tissues. (GAFFT)

The event culminated with a block of magisterial conferences called global initiatives to encourage the activities of tissue banks in Latin America, in which they highlighted the participation of the World Health Organization and the Pan American Health Organization, in which The official program of both instances to encourage donation, transplantation and tissue bank activities was announced, called "Global Access Framework to advance universal access to safe, effective and quality-assured human tissues for transplantation" (GAFFT) aligned to the global program donation and transplantation of organs, tissues and cells 2019-2030; which will begin with the pilot program for the Region of the Americas.

The Ibero-American Donation and Transplantation Council Network (RCIDT), represented by Dr. Richard Malan and Dr. Celina Horak from the International Atomic Energy Organization in the Americas (IAEA) participated in this block. In which the advances and work carried out in Latin America to encourage the activity of Tissue banks were presented.

In their participation, Dr. Martin Borgel, Secretary General of the World Union of Tissue Banks, and Dr. Francisco Martínez, President of ALABAT, joined international cooperation and joint work to promote operational guidelines, regulatory proposals and promote training programs for professionals with activities of donation, processing, transplantation and tissue banks in conjunction with the WHO/PAHO proposals.

Mexico, will chair the Board of Directors 2023-2025 of ALABAT.

During the closing of the event held on November 18 at 2:30 p.m., the new board of directors was announced, in which, by unanimous vote, Dr. Francisco Martínez Flores, was re-elected as president for the period 2023-2025 of the ALABAT. The announcement was made, after the business meeting of the affiliates in person, on November 17, were Mexico will maintain the presidency and will have the participation of Colombia, Uruguay, Argentina and Brazil in the board of directors. To conclude, the Official announcement of the IX congress of the Latin American Association of Tissue Banks in Bogotá Colombia in 2024 was made. The above will allow the continuation of the ALABAT work program focused on the international collaboration of Latin American countries in conjunction with regional organizations.