International Symposium on Red Blood Cells: Genesis and Pathophysiology

Chairs: Wassim El Nemer, Olivier Hermine, Mohandas Narla, Marieke Von Lindern  

The course has two major learning objectives, one related to improving our understanding of the red blood cell as a key player in human physiology, the other to developing high quality research projects on red cells.

The course is designed to cover the three stages of the red cell life: differentiation, circulation and senescence, both in health and disease. The following topics will be addressed:

• Intrinsic and extrinsic mechanisms that control red blood cell differentiation
• Physiology and metabolism of the mature red blood cell
• Genetic and infectious diseases affecting red cell functions
• Transfusion, blood banking and storage lesions
• Emergent therapies in red cell disorders

At the end of the course, the attendees should have a better knowledge of the red cell physiology, they should be able to identify pathological conditions where abnormal red cell functions influence the pathophysiology of the disease and to build new scientific research programs dealing with red cell functions or disorders.