Belgian society for thrombosis and haemostatis

The history
The Belgian Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis (BSTH) was founded as a non-profit organization in 1992 by deposition of the Act of Foundation with a Brussels notary. On April 29, 1993 the BSTH statutes were published in Het Staatsblad/Moniteur Belge. The logo adopted by the society closely resembled that of the International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis (ISTH).

Before the founding of the Belgian Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis (BSTH) in 1992 there already existed another scientific grouping in the field of coagulation, namely the national and bilingual “ FGWO contactgroep bloedstolling – FRSM groupe de contact coagulation”, a contact group within the Fund for Scientific Research in Medicine (FGWO-FRSM), a part of the National Fund for Scientific Research (NFWO-FNRS). Chairmen of this grouping were prof Gaston Baele (Universiteit Gent-UGent) and prof Pierre Fondu (Université Libre de Bruxelles-ULB). In 1992 this grouping was split into a Flemish group “FGWO contactgroep bloedstolling” (chairman Gaston Baele) and a French speaking group “nouveau groupe de contact FRSM-coagulation” (chairman Pierre Fondu) when the organization and structure of the National Fund for Scientific Research (NFWO-FNRS) were changed along regional lines. The Belgian Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis (BSTH) became the new national forum in the field of coagulation and organized annual scientific meetings from the beginning.

The Belgian Society on Thrombosis & Haemostasis, a non-profit medical research organization, seeks to:

  • Foster and advance science relating to thrombosis, haemostasis, and vascular biology
  • Provide a forum for discussion of these problems
  • Encourage research in these areas
  • Focus the attention of scientists of the several relevant disciplines on these matters
  • Foster the diffusion and exchange of ideas through meetings and publications

Paul Capel Prize
Paul Capel, co-founder and first Secretary of the Belgian Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis (BSTH), was the head of the coagulation laboratory at the ULB-Erasme Hospital and a expert in the field of Lupus Anticoagulant. Therefore, in 2009 the BSTH board decided to give out two Paul Capel Prizes each year, one in the category “Fundamental Research “ and one in the category “Clinical/Laboratory”.

To find out more about the prizes awarded by the Society, please visit the official website: http://www.bsth.be

Journal
The Belgian Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis (BSTH) in 2010 (and formally in 2011) adopted the new Belgian Journal of Hematology as the official journal of the society, making it possible for the abstract of the Annual Meeting to be published in that journal.

President
Dr Cécile Oury, Unit of Cardiovascular Sciences, University of Liège

Afdeling Hematologie en Hemostase, Universitair Ziekenhuis Antwerpen, Edegem

Registries

  • STER: Seven Treatment Evaluation Registry
  • EACH: European Acquired Haemophilia registry
  • ISTH registries

Databases

  • Bernard Soulier Syndrome
  • Factor VII Mutation database
  • Factor VIII database
  • Mutations causing rare bleeding disorders
  • Protein C database
  • Databases of the ISTH
  • von Willebrand factor
  • platelet immunology
  • Glanzmann’s thrombasthenia
  • antithrombin III
  • ISTH databases

Belgian thrombosis laboratories

  • Molecular Cardiovascular Medicine Group KU Leuven, including: Center for Molecular and Vascular Biology and Center for Transgene Technology and Gene Therapy
  • Laboratory for Pharmaceutical Biology and Phytofarmacology KU Leuven
  • Laboratory for Hemostasis – UZ Brussel
  • Special interest in hereditary antithrombin deficiency. In this regard, we offer plasmatic testing of the antithrombin protein (activity, antigen, progressive activity and crossed immuno-electrophoresis) and complete sequencing of the antithrombin gene.
  • Laboratory for Thrombosis Research KU Leuven Kulak

BSTH working groups

  • Thrombosis Guidelines Group (TGG)
  • Bleeding Disorders Group (BDG)
  • BSTH working group on fibrinogen