Educational Course on Graft‑versus‑Host Disease: Evolving Landscape of GvHD Management

The Goal

The goal of the GvHD educational course is to make a layered exploration of both acute & chronic GvHD, to provide latest trends on the use of combination therapies in the treatment of GvHD, and to share data on the benefits of ECP in the early stages of the treatment pathway for SR-aGvHD as well as how to improve the overall survival in aGvHD by applying ECP.

Agenda

Download Agenda PDF

Day 1 - 26 November 2026

Arrival of participants

19:00 – 19:30
Meeting in the lobby

19:30
Dinner

Day 2 - 27 November 2026

Arrival of participants

09:00 – 09:15
Welcome and introduction - Prof Robert Zeiser & Therakos Healthcare Stakeholder Engagement Department

09:15 – 09:30
Medical Device Regulation (MDR) for the THERAKOS™ CELLEX™ Photopheresis System in 2026 - Fasi Payman, Therakos Medical Affairs

09:30 – 09:50
Mechanistic insights into ECP – The role of Immunomodulation - Prof Robert Zeiser

09:50 – 10:10
Acute GvHD: Benefits of ECP in the early stages of the treatment pathway for SRaGvHD - Prof Robert Zeiser

10:10 – 10:20
Interactive Discussion - All

10:20 – 10:30
Coffee Break

10:30 – 10:50
Acute GvHD: How to improve overall survival in aGvHD by using ECP - Prof Daniele Avenoso

10:50 – 11:10
Acute GvHD: Optimising combination therapy in SR-aGvHD - Prof Francis Ayuk

11:10 – 11:30
Interactive discussion - All

11:30 – 12:00
Chronic GvHD: cGvHD therapeutic options in a changing landscape – Optimizing treatment approach - Prof Dr Hildegard Greinix

12:00 – 13:00
Lunch

13:00 – 13:30
Chronic GvHD: Managing cGvHD with combination therapy - Prof Robert Zeiser

13:30 – 14:00
Chronic GvHD: ECP and Ruxolitinib combination for refractory cGvHD – A focus on organ-specific response - Dr med Kristina Maas-Bauer

14:00 – 14:30
Interactive discussion - All

14:30 – 15:15
Patient cases discussion

15:15 – 15:30
Final remarks and Close - Prof Robert Zeiser

Please see the THERAKOS™ CELLEX™ Photopheresis System operator’s Manual for indications, contraindications, warnings, precautions, adverse reactions, and other important information.

GvHD: Graft versus Host Disease, ECP: Extracorporeal Photopheresis, SR: Steroid Refractory

For this course, participants are required to submit one patient case for discussion 15 days in advance of the session.

All speakers are subject to contract.
This is a commercial programme run by Therakos (UK) Ltd
This information is not intended for healthcare professionals based in Europe and the Middle East.

Hosted by

Prof Dr Hildegard Greinix

Past President, Worldwide Network for Blood & Marrow Transplantation (WBMT), Medical University of Vienna

Prof Robert Zeiser

University Hospital Freiburg, Germany

Prof Francis Ayuk

Professor and Chair, Stem Cell Transplantation and cell-based Therapies, Director – University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Germany

Prof Daniele Avenoso

University of Brescia and Spedali Civili General Hospital, Italy

Dr. Med Kristina Mass-Bauer

University of Freiburg, Germany

Brought to you by the Therakos Institute

This is a commercial programme run by Therakos (UK) Ltd.

Our Centres of Excellence (CoE) Programme is for customers only. If you are interested in attending our CoE courses please contact your Sales Representative.

Explore related courses

Oct 21 - 22, 2026

Educational Course on the Management of GvHD

Wellcome Collection, London, United Kingdom

Find out more

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION FOR THE THERAKOS™ PHOTOPHERESIS PROCEDURE

Indications

The THERAKOS™ CELLEX™ Photopheresis System is indicated for patients older than 18 years of age for the administration of photopheresis in the following:

Cutaneous T Cell Lymphoma (CTCL)
Solid Organ Transplant Rejection (SOT) (heart, lung)

The THERAKOS™ CELLEX™ Photopheresis System is indicated in patients older than 3 years of age for the management of:

Acute and Chronic Graft versus Host Disease (aGvHD, cGvHD)

Contraindications

THERAKOS^TM Photopheresis is contraindicated in:

Patients possessing a specific history of a light sensitive disease
Patients who cannot tolerate extracorporeal volume loss or who have white blood cell counts greater than 25,000 / mm³
Patients who have coagulation disorders or who have previously had a splenectomy

Warnings and Precautions

THERAKOS^TMPhotopheresis treatments should always be performed in locations where standard medical emergency equipment is available. Volume replacement fluids and/or volume expanders should be readily available throughout the procedure.

Do not expose the device to a magnetic resonance (MR) environment. The device may present a risk of projectile injury, and thermal injury and burns may occur. The device may generate artifacts in the MR image, or may not function properly.
Thromboembolic events, including pulmonary embolism and deep vein thrombosis, have been reported in the treatment of Graft versus Host Disease (GvHD). Special attention to adequate anticoagulation is advised when treating patients with GvHD.
When prescribing and administering THERAKOS Photopheresis for patients receiving concomitant therapy, exercise caution when changing treatment schedules to avoid increased disease activity that may be caused by abrupt withdrawal of previous therapy.

Adverse Events

Hypotension may occur during any treatment involving extracorporeal circulation. Closely monitor the patient during the entire treatment for hypotension.
Transient pyretic reactions, 37.7–38.9°C (100–102°F), have been observed in some patients within six to eight hours of reinfusion of the photoactivated leukocyte-enriched blood. A temporary increase in erythroderma may accompany the pyretic reaction.
Treatment frequency exceeding labelling recommendations may result in anaemia.
Venous access carries a small risk of infection and pain.

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION FOR METHOXSALEN USED IN CONJUNCTION WITH THERAKOS^TM PHOTOPHERESIS

Consult the 8-methoxypsoralen (Methoxsalen (20 micrograms / mL)) professional leaflet or the oral 8-methoxypsoralen formulation package insert before prescribing or dispensing any medication.