The world’s leading haematologists arrive in Liverpool this week to discuss the latest weapons in the fight against major killers like heart attacks, strokes and deep vein thrombosis.
A total of 1,500 scientists from 75 different countries will join the International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis (ISTH) conference at ACC Liverpool, home to BT Convention Centre and Echo Arena.
The three day event, from June 27th, is hosted by The Roald Dahl Haemostasis & Thrombosis Centre at the Royal Liverpool University Hospital and is regarded amongst professionals as a landmark opportunity to develop worldwide understanding of the conditions.
It will include discussions on the application of a major new blood-thinning drug designed to help prevent strokes, heart attacks and deep vein thrombosis and, amongst other things, will highlight the pioneering work of the Liverpool centre, which has won four patents for its research into tackling disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC), the life-threatening condition associated with excessive bleeding and clotting risks in different parts of the body.
It will also feature a whole day dedicated to encouraging trainee specialists as part of the Liverpool organisers’ commitment to sustaining levels of UK patient care for decades to come.
University of Liverpool’s Professor of Haemotology, Professor Cheng-Hock Toh, who is hosting the event, said: “This is an extremely important event in all aspects of the speciality, from the basic science discovery, development of diagnostic tests and drug treatments, clinical trials to patient outcomes.”
Professor Toh, a clinician at the Royal Liverpool University Hospital, hopes delegates will leave the conference – the 58th Scientific and Standardisation Meeting of the International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis – having experienced a true taste of Liverpool and is laying on a conference football match and a Beatles night for his guests.
Professor Toh added: “The meeting has not been held in the UK since 2003. Getting it in Liverpool is like a pat on the back for us at the centre, but the city and ACC Liverpool had to tick the right boxes too.”
Kerrin MacPhie, director of sales at ACC Liverpool, said: “The journey to bring ISTH to Liverpool started back in 2003. We have worked long and hard with Professor Toh who was determined to bring this event to the city.
“He is an ambassador for the city and was instrumental in bringing together all the key ingredients of Liverpool’s medical expertise and its conference offer.”
Max Steinberg, chief executive of Liverpool Vision, the city’s economic development company, said: “Liverpool’s scientific expertise touches the lives of people around the world in a million different ways.
“Hosting this conference is yet another demonstration of the sheer pulling power of both the talent within the city’s Knowledge Quarter and the platform for sharing knowledge provided by world class venues like ACC Liverpool.”
Another major medical conference, Infection Prevention 2012, will be hosted at ACC Liverpool from October 1 to 3. More than 600 delegates and over 100 exhibitors are expected to attend.
