ISTH 2026, Paris

I am very grateful to HaemSTAR for supporting my trip to Paris, to attend the ISTH 2026 congress. I presented two posters relating to projects undertaken during an out-of-programme fellowship at the Oxford Haemophilia and Thrombosis Centre, relating to clinical frailty score assessments in people with Haemophilia, and a case report of Emicizumab use in acquired von Willebrand syndrome. Both posters generated interesting discussions, and it was educational to briefly summarise both projects and share ideas with friendly international colleagues. 

This was my first attendance at an international conference, so I enjoyed the broad range of topics being presented and the opportunity to meet others with shared areas of interest. Hearing about developments in Haemophilia treatment options, including results from the phase 3 BASIS KIDS trial of Marstacimab prophylaxis as a re-balancing agent and investigational drug trials for oral FVIII treatment options (Inno8), demonstrated how much scope there is for further treatment advances in coming years. Whilst sessions relating to targeted approaches to managing ageing and broader co-morbidities in older people with Haemophilia related to the work I had undertaken during my haemostasis fellowship last year and highlighted the importance of further research in this area to optimise clinical outcomes for patients.  

Overall, the ISTH congress was an educational and inspiring experience, which broadened my awareness of current scientific and clinical research, as well as some helpful sessions relating to guideline updates and challenging clinical scenarios. I am grateful to HaemSTAR for facilitating my attendance.