Information updates

An Impact Case Study on the AusPollen Partnership and associated research projects has recently been published by the NHMRC, the peak national body supporting health and medical research in Australia. Read more here

The AusPollen partnership is an important research collaboration for ASCIA and was one of the first research projects supported by an AIFA research grant in 2014, when AIFA was first established. Since then, a total of 27 projects have been awarded AIFA research grants. Read more here

A new ASCIA Management Plan for Delayed Allergic Reactions to Foods has been developed by the ASCIA Dietitians committee, in response to requests from children's education/care services. This plan is to be used for delayed non-IgE mediated allergic reactions to foods:

• Food Protein Induced Allergic Proctocolitis (FPIAP) - a delayed non-IgE mediated food allergy, associated with blood and mucus in stool, and diarrhoea in an otherwise thriving infant.
• Food Protein Enterocolitis (FPE) - a delayed non-IgE mediated food allergy associated with diarrhoea, abdominal pain, vomiting, and sometimes faltering growth.

The plan is available on the ASCIA website https://www.allergy.org.au/patients/food-other-adverse-reactions/delayed-reactions-management-plan

ASCIA resources are living documents, and feedback on this plan is welcome, which will inform future updates.

The format of ASCIA Plans for Food Protein-Induced Enterocolitis Syndrome (FPIES) and Eosinophilic Oesophagitis (EoE) has been updated to be consistent with other ASCIA Plans, but the content is unchanged. 

To access these plans go to https://www.allergy.org.au/patients/food-other-adverse-reactions

Thank you to everyone involved in the ASCIA 2023 Conference, which was a highly successful hybrid event, with a record high number of delegates (724 – 72% in-person, 28% virtual), abstracts (165) and social functions.

ASCIA 2023 Conference sessions can now be viewed on demand by registered delegates on the conference platform for the next six months (until Sunday 31st March 2024) to enable continued professional development. To view the sessions, you will need to login to the conference platform using your custom log-in link which was sent to you in the delegate information email in the week prior to the ASCIA 2023 Conference. If you cannot find your link or gain access to the platform, please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The Final Program Book is available here:

ASCIA 2023 PROGRAM BOOK1.51 MB - updated to include details about sponsored sessions and social functions. 

Highlights

The ASCIA 2023 Conference was held at the International Convention Centre (ICC) Sydney from Tuesday 5th to Friday 8th September 2023, as a hybrid conference, which enabled in-person and virtual attendance. There were several highlights, including:

• An international standard of continuing professional development (CPD)*, with presentations of the latest research and issues in allergy and clinical immunology, presented by more than 60 speakers, including five international speakers - A/Prof Edmond Chan (Canada), Prof Anna Nowak-Wegrzyn (USA), Prof Anne Puel (France), Dr Lluis Quintana-Murc (France) and A/Prof Elizabeth Tham (Singapore).
• The 2023 Basten Oration presented by Prof Connie Katelaris AM, which was chaired by Prof Ron Walls AM and attended by Prof Tony Basten AO. The Basten Oration can be viewed open access at www.allergy.org.au/conferences/ascia-annual-conference/annual-ascia-basten-oration
• A record high number of 26 clinical grand rounds (CGR) presenters, with 25 CGR cases presented in-person. 
• A record high number of 139 posters - abstracts will be published online in the Internal Medicine Journal which can be accessed at www.allergy.org.au/conferences/ascia-annual-conference/published-abstracts-ascia
• AIFA grant recipients from 2021 presenting their research, and the announcement of the 2023 AIFA grants, which are listed on the AIFA website https://www.allergyimmunology.org.au/projects/projects#latest
• An inaugural ASCIA Immunodeficiency Update for Nurses on Thursday 7^th September.
• Three concurrent Allergy Updates for Medical Practitioner, Nurses and Dietitians on Friday 8th September.
• Interactive Q&A for all sessions, with the option of asking questions via the fixed microphones at ICC Sydney, the conference app or the conference platform.
• A record high participation in six social functions held over four nights, including dinners on Wednesday night for 80 Trainees/Consultants and 70 Nurses, and the Gala Dinner for more than 200 delegates on Thursday night - all were fun and memorable events.

Thank you to the:

• Organising committee, chaired by Dr Katie Frith, for their work in compiling an outstanding program, and for paticipating as session chairs and speakers. Members. Main Program - Dr Paul Gray, Dr Alisa Kane, Dr Karuna Keat, A/Prof Jennifer Koplin, Dr Kathryn Patchett, Prof Kirsten Perrett, Dr Kahn Preece, Dr Shruti Swamy, Dr Winnie Tong, Dr Brynn Wainstein, Dr James Yun. Updates for Nurses and Dietitians - Kathy Beck, Jan Belcher, Wendy Birks, Geraldine Dunne, Carolina Valerio. Allergy Update for Medical Practitioners - Dr Lara Ford, Dr Kathryn Heyworth, Dr Rohit Saldanha.
• ASCIA team, managed by Jill Smith, (ASCIA CEO) for coordinatiing speaker/chair invitations and confirmations, sponsorship and exhibition,  program development, communications, dinners, finances, poster and CGR abstract review, editing and prizes. The ASCIA team comprises Rikki Dunstall (Finance and Operations Officer), Michelle Haskard (Senior Project Officer) and Nadene Dorling (Senior Project Officer). ASCIA Project Officers who commenced work with ASCIA in March 2023 (Emily Mamo and Georgina Egan - both are health professionals) attended all allergy sesssions to assist in their work on National Allergy Council projects and to provide feedback on the program.
• ICMSA team, managed by Siobhan Jensen (Event Manager) for managing complex onsite and virtual logistics, with more technological challenges than previous ASCIA conferences. The ICMSA team includes Jessica Moebus (Event Coordinator) and Emily Low (Event Assistant).

We greatly appreciate the support from the ASCIA 2023 Conference sponsors, which allows ASCIA to provide an outstanding program at a reasonable registration fee. Sponsors and exhibitors are listed at www.allergy.org.au/about-ascia/sponsors

Other meetings held during the ASCIA 2023 Conference week included:

• ASCIA Annual General Meeting (AGM) chaired by A/Prof Theresa Cole (ASCIA President) on Thursday 7th September. The ASCIA Annual Report is a record of presentations from the AGM and is available at https://www.allergy.org.au/members/ascia-annual-reports
• CIRCA (Australian Immunogenomics) Symposium at the Garvan Institute, Darlinghurst on Monday 4th September
• Practical Rhinoscopy Workshop at St Vincent’s Hospital, Darlinghurst on Saturday 9th September.

Sustainability

To improve sustainability, the ASCIA 2023 Conference featured:

• A living, digital Program Book, which can be kept up to date and reduces waste associated with printing. 
• Online posters, which reduces production costs and waste associated with printing and transporting of posters.
• Namebadges that do not include a plastic holder and reusable lanyards.

Feedback

The ASCIA 2023 Conference was the 2nd hybrid ASCIA Conference, and we continue to learn more from the process of organising what is essentially two conferences (in-person and virtual) in one. Delegates appeared to welcome interactions with colleagues and feedback has been very positive.

Whilst we will make modifications in future based on feedback and data, we will continue with the hybrid model for the ASCIA 2024 Conferences, as it has several advantages, including:

• Participation -  for delegates when travel isn’t possible or feasible. 
• Ongoing CPD - with all sessions accessible on demand for six months after the conference.
• Q&A sessions - which enable in-person and virtual delegates  to submit questions.

In the meantime, we have recieved the following feedback from delegates, even before the post-conference survey feedback has been compiled:

• Thank you for organizing such a wonderful ASCIA conference with an excellent scientific program!! 
• Congratulations and huge thank you to Katie, Jill and your teams for a fabulous ASCIA annual conference with the perfect mix of science, education and networking.  
• Reflecting on a wonderful ASCIA conference - Thank you to Katie, Jill and the amazing team.
• Thanks so so much Katie and Jill, and all the organisers for an amazing conference! I have had so many people say that the organisation, line up and presentations were amazing this year! Well done team!
• Continuing a great tradition of amazing ASCIA conferences! Looking forward to the next one. 
• Thanks ASCIA committee for a great conference, thanks also to all presenters and attendees! Everyone has made it not just a useful conference but also fun… especially the dinners. 
• Thank you everyone for making ASCIA 2023 such a success and also so much fun! Roll on ASCIA 2024!
• A very big congrats to everyone for an excellent conference! Dr Katie Frith⁩ and Jill Smith -⁩ well done for leading your team to a great week!!
• Thank you Jill Smith⁩, Dr Katie Frith⁩ and the Sydney organisation team for hosting a terrific and memorable meeting. 
• Thanks Jill and Katie and Team!!! Great conference.
• Thank you Jill, Katie and team for a great meeting. 
• Thanks to Dr Katie Frith⁩ and Jill Smith⁩ and a huge shout out to Jan Belcher and Carolina Valerio for being a dream to work with in organising the nurses days. Let’s hope we can continue the immunodeficiency nurses day now too.
• Congratulations on a great nurse program. 
• Congratulations on a highly successful ASCIA 2023 conference!
• Congratulations on an excellent conference!
• I want to thank you and the team for a wonderful conference once again – it really goes from strength to strength!!
• Great conference this year! 
• Thanks for putting on another very successful conference . Its so good to be able to meet up with my peers but also to be able to have the online recordings to go back to later to catch all the points I missed.  I thought this year the conference was particularly efficiently run… the food was exceptional  and you even put on good weather.
• Thank you again for the amazing ASCIA conference. This was my first conference, and it has greatly advanced my interest in this field! 
• Thanks again to you and your team for a great conference.
• Many thanks once again to you and the team for running an amazing event this year!!
• Thank you to all involved in organising a fantastic ASCIA conference!
• Congratulations on a wonderful ASCIA conference last week!
• Thanks for a wonderful conference last week. 
• Thanks for an amazing conference, everyone had a wonderful time and left feeling very inspired!
• Congratulations to you and the team on organising such a brilliant ASCIA scientific program and social events for the ASCIA 2023 conference! 
• Congratulations again for the success of another great ASCIA congress.
• It was so nice seeing you at the ASCIA conference and what a great event it was!
• Congratulations to you and your team for a very well organised and impactful conference.
• I thought it was a fantastic conference organised by Katie, her team and ASCIA so well done!
• Thanks again to you and the committee for a great conference. It was really one of the best programs in recent years, and I enjoyed seeing everyone.
• I just want to say congratulations. It was a wonderful congress. The sessions are always highly educational but there was a real energy in the room this year.
• Thank you again for the amazing ASCIA conference. This was my first conference, and it has greatly advanced my interest in this field! 
• Thanks for a wonderful ASCIA, I really enjoyed the conference and the Immunogenomics Day.
• The conference was fantastic. So good to be able to gather again.
• Enjoy your well deserved break after a fantastic conference!
• From all accounts ASCIA went exceptionally well, and you and the team should be very proud!
• Great work on the ASCIA Sydney conference organisation Katie - informative and fun!
• Congratulations on a wonderful and successful event!
• I just wanted to say congratulations!! It was a great meeting.
• The ASCIA conference was really good.
• I didn’t have the chance to thank you properly for the amazing job you did with the ASCIA congress. Really valuable sessions and I learnt a lot, particularly in the sessions devoted to food allergy. Congratulations and thanks so much.

We look forward to seeing you at the ASCIA 2024 Conference, which will be held from Tuesday 3rd to Friday 6th September 2024 at the Adelaide Convention Centre, chaired by Dr Jovanka King.

The National Blood Authority (NBA) has agreed arrangements with Grifols Australia Pty Ltd for the introduction of their Subcutaneous Immunoglobulin (SCIg) product, Xembify 20%, under the national blood arrangements. Supply to the Australian market is anticipated to commence in January 2024. This additional product will strengthen and diversify the supply of SCIg in Australia to ensure eligible patients continue to have access to Ig treatment.

Xembify 20% (Grifols) is approved by the Therapeutics Goods Administration (TGA) in line with the usual high standards of safety and quality. The introduction of Xembify will be in addition to the currently available suite of imported SCIg products, namely Hizentra 20% (CSL Behring), Cuvitru 20% (Takeda) and the new domestic SCIg product Hizentra AU (CSL Behring).

For information about the transition from Evogam to Hizentra AU go to https://www.allergy.org.au/about-ascia/info-updates/transition-from-evogam-to-hizentra-au-scig-products

Please see the NBA website for further information about the introduction of Xembify. Announcements on BloodSTAR and BloodNet, as well as relevant advice to stakeholder groups will occur over the coming months in preparation for the introduction of Xembify 20%. Communications will also be sent to Approved Health Providers and Red Cross Lifeblood to prepare their systems for this change, as further details are available.

The Australian Rheumatology Association (ARA), in collaboration with Arthritis Australia, is developing a Quality Standard for Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA), to improve the quality of care for people living with RA.

The final quality statements will be based on consensus agreement by healthcare professionals involved in the care of people with RA, as well as people living with RA.

ARA invites ASCIA members to take part in an online survey to indicate agreement with the:

1. Selection of priority areas
2. Content and wording of each quality statement

The survey is available at https://redcap.link/RA_qual_stds and is open until 6th September 2023. 

For more information, please review the Participant Information Sheet for healthcare professionals:

Participant Information Sheet for Healthcare Professionals240.40 KB

ASCIA is conducting a short survey to help improve undergraduate allergy education for future health professionals, as part of the National Allergy Council (NAC) Shared Care for Allergy (SCA) Project. 

The survey is open until 21 August 2023 at ASCIA Allergy Training Survey   

Health professionals who complete the survey will have a chance to win one of five ASCIA 2024 Conference virtual registrations. 

We encourage health professionals to complete the survey, who have completed an Australian degree in Medicine, Nursing, Nutrition/Dietetics, Paramedicine, Pharmacy, Podiatry or Psychology, and postgraduate students currently studying one of these disciplines. 

You can read more about ASCIA’s involvement in the NAC SCA project in the latest ASCIA Progress Report    

This information is also on the ASCIA website www.allergy.org.au/hp 

In May 2022, the National Blood Authority (NBA) announced that five domestically produced plasma products are undergoing transition in 2023 and 2024.

From 2 August 2023, patients on EVOGAM subcutaneous immunoglobulin (SCIg) product will transition to HIZENTRA AU, if they have not already transitioned. The timing of when each patient will transition will be determined by their treating team and it is anticipated that most patients will be transitioned by October 2023.

HIZENTRA AU will continue to be manufactured from Australia’s plasma and is approved by the Therapeutics Goods Administration (TGA) in accordance with usual high standards of safety and quality.

This NBA handout provides details and timing for the transition.

HIZENTRA AU Handout 332.10 KB

Continue reading