In 2019 a small team of neonatologists, hematologists, and epidemiologists from several countries started collaborating to perform a neonatal transfusion survey. We soon realized the potential of our collaboration and decided to start a network and expand our survey to a total of 18 countries within Europe. We were able to recruit 343 NICUs from all across Europe in this first study. Since then, more than 130 people from 35 countries have recognized the need for more neonatal transfusion research and decided to join us to work together to improve neonatal transfusion practices all over the world. We are still a young network and in the process of forming working groups, developing bylaws, and formalizing our structure. The NTN consists of a steering board, supported by a team of junior researchers, and our members. As all stakeholders, including neonatologists, haematologists, epidemiologists, as well as parent representatives and blood bank agents, collaborate within our international NTN, our collaborative efforts can directly be translated into practice change and may thus substantially impact the quality of neonatal transfusion medicine in Europe and worldwide.
We value collaboration, scientific rigour, transparency, and respect. Our vision is to be an open, collaborative, inclusive, and interdisciplinary network, where everyone gets a chance to contribute, and we are not afraid to question our views and current practices. We want to share expertise and knowledge to build a new generation of neonatal transfusion specialists who are as passionate about the topic as we are. Ultimately, our goal is that transfusion products will be adapted to meet specific neonatal requirements and will only be given to babies who will benefit from them, limiting harmful and wasteful transfusions, and improving neonatal outcomes.
We have ambitious short- and long-term goals, including developing a European Strategic Research Agenda, a European Consensus Statement, assessing current transfusion practices through surveys and observational studies, developing definitions for transfusion-associated adverse events, providing tools for education and implementation, and designing new randomized trials and translational studies.
We are happy to introduce you to our steering board members and junior researchers.
Expertise: Neonatology. Special interest in multi-centre clinical studies, neonatal stabilization/resuscitation, and non-invasive respiratory support.
Affiliation: National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit Clinical Trials Unit, University of Oxford, United Kingdom / Newborn Services, Southmead Hospital, North Bristol Trust, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom
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Expertise: Neonatology, special interest in molecular neonatology
Affiliation: Department of Neonatology, Charité - University Hospital Berlin, Berlin, Germany
Expertise: Neonatology, special interest in neonatal haematology
Affiliation: Department of Women’s and Children’s Health Division of Neonatology,
Karolinska Institute, Solna, Sweden
Expertise: Neonatology, special interest in monochorionic twins, twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS), and twin anaemia polycythaemia sequence (TAPS)
Affiliation: Willem-Alexander Children’s Hospital, Department of Paediatrics, Division of Neonatology, Leiden University Medical Center, the Netherlands
Expertise: Haematology, special interest in paediatric transfusion medicine
Affiliation: NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) and Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
Expertise: Clinical epidemiology, special interest in transfusion medicine
Affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands / Center for Clinical Transfusion Research, Sanquin Blood Supply Foundation, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
Expertise: Paediatric haematology, special interest in haemophilia
Affiliation: Department of Paediatric Haematology, Amsterdam University Medical Center, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
Expertise: Haematology, special interest in transfusion medicine
Affiliation: NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) and University of Oxford,
London, United Kingdom
Expertise: Neonatal transfusion medicine, clinical epidemiology
Affiliation: Center for Clinical Transfusion Research, Sanquin Blood Supply Foundation, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
Research field: Neonatology, special interest in neonatal procedures, resuscitation, and clinical care of preterm infants
Affiliation: Oxford University Hospitals, Oxford, United Kingdom
Research field: Neonatal transfusion medicine, dynamic prediction modelling and mass-spectrometry based proteomics
Affiliation: Center for Clinical Transfusion Research, Sanquin Blood Supply Foundation, Amsterdam, the Netherlands / Willem-Alexander Children’s Hospital, Department of Paediatrics, Division of Neonatology, Leiden University Medical Center, the Netherlands
Research field: Neonatal transfusion medicine, benchmarking the use of neonatal patient blood management program elements in NICUs in the Netherlands
Affiliation: Center for Clinical Transfusion Research, Sanquin Blood Supply Foundation, Amsterdam, the Netherlands / Willem-Alexander Children’s Hospital, Department of Paediatrics, Division of Neonatology, Leiden University Medical Center, the Netherlands
Research field: Neonatal transfusion medicine, coordinating investigator in the INSPIRE-study (International Neonatal tranSfusion PoInt pREvalence)
Affiliation: Center for Clinical Transfusion Research, Sanquin Blood Supply Foundation, Amsterdam, the Netherlands / Willem-Alexander Children’s Hospital, Department of Paediatrics, Division of Neonatology, Leiden University Medical Center, the Netherlands
Research field: Haematological changes in preterm infants with severe growth retardation, differences in foetal/neonatal blood components as cause of transfusion-associated NEC and ROP, use of erythropoietin in lowering transfusion rates
Affiliation: Department of Neonatology, Charité - University Hospital Berlin, Berlin, Germany
