AABB is excited to welcome the blood and biotherapies community to the 2026 AABB Annual Meeting! This year’s premier educational event—taking place Oct. 17-19, 2026, in Atlanta, GA—brings together the latest research and practice-changing resources for the field of blood and biotherapies. Attendees can look forward to a variety of educational sessions, as well as social and networking events with colleagues from all aspects of the field.
Whether you are a veteran Annual Meeting attendee, first-time attendee, volunteer AABB assessor, AABB Foundation Scholar or student, the meeting will offer numerous opportunities to connect and interact with your peers from throughout the world and establish relationships that will last throughout your career.
Here’s a sneak peek of the 2026 AABB Annual Meeting’s new and favorite returning events.
Please note: Additional events may be added closer to the Annual Meeting. Times, locations and events are subject to change. Download the AABB Annual Meeting app for the latest information.
Cord Blood Connect (CBC) returns to the 2026 AABB Annual Meeting with three days of programming focused on advances in cord blood banking, transplantation and cellular therapies. Sessions will examine clinical outcomes of cord blood transplantation, emerging cord blood-derived therapies and the evolving regulatory and operational landscape. The program will also include abstract and five-minute lightning talk presentations, as well as discussions on future opportunities and challenges.
The 2026 Annual Meeting General Session will feature a keynote address from Frederick Appelbaum, MD, executive vice president at Fred Hutch and a pioneer in bone marrow transplantation. In his keynote, Appelbaum will discuss the critical role the blood banking and transfusion medicine community has played in advancing transplantation. He will also highlight the longstanding relationship between bone marrow transplantation and transfusion medicine, including AABB's early role as a model for regulation and self-governance within the field.
This popular session provides an opportunity for attendees to submit questions to representatives from FDA and CMS/CLIA regarding the agencies' current thinking on policies, regulations, guidance documents and inspection programs relevant to the oversight of blood and biotherapies.
A perennial Annual Meeting favorite, this interactive session dives into real-world dilemmas in cellular therapy—from supply and reagents shortages to preparing for the next disaster. With audience-driven scenarios, peer discussion and biotherapies expert input, attendees walk away with practical strategies to resolve mutual hurdles in daily practices.
Back by popular demand, this session takes attendees on a global journey through antibody identification, using fictional references from the world of Lord of the Rings. The session will explore how patient ethnicity and regional differences can inform complex investigations. Join presenters and attendees on a final journey to see if they can destroy test tube methods or learn to live in harmony.
AABB and THOR are offering a new joint three-day program focused on transfusion strategies from the prehospital environment to hospital-based resuscitation and large-scale emergency response. These education sessions will bring together EMS, hospitals, blood centers and other members of the care team to explore practical approaches to prehospital transfusion, clinical practice, system readiness and complex bleeding challenges.
All registered attendees are invited to join colleagues and friends at the AABB2026 Closing Celebration on Monday evening - an opportunity to connect, reflect and give back. This year, the Closing Celebration also serves as a fundraiser in support of the AABB Foundation. Attendance is open to all, and donations are optional.
Back by popular demand, the Biotherapies Pavilion is a specially designed networking space in the Exhibit Hall providing attendees with a unique opportunity to network with fellow biotherapies professionals and organizations, while offering access to interactive open-mic conversations led by industry experts.
Lace up your sneakers for the annual AABB Foundation Run for Research. Whether you run at a record-breaking pace or prefer a casual walk, what’s important is your participation. Proceeds benefit the AABB Foundation, a nonprofit charitable organization that funds innovative scientific research and support the careers of future leaders in transfusion medicine and biotherapies.
These expanded 90-minute sessions feature renowned experts discussing current issues and the "state of the science” on a select topic alongside authors presenting top abstracts in that area. Each session brings together expert insight and new research to highlight key developments in the field.
Enjoy curated tours of select top scientific posters in person during the meeting. Each will consist of a brief overview of the selected abstract posters by the author, followed by a short question-and-answer period between the tour moderator, researcher and audience.
AABB is pleased to announce the research selected for inclusion in the Plenary Oral Abstract Session at the upcoming 2026 AABB Annual Meeting, to be held Oct. 17-19 in Atlanta.
The Plenary Oral Abstract Session is the session reserved at each year’s AABB Annual Meeting to present the research that has been deemed the most important of the year in the blood and biotherapies field. The Selection of Abstracts Committee reviews hundreds of scientific abstracts in the months leading up to the AABB Annual Meeting, selects those of high scientific merit for inclusion at the meeting, then chooses the best and most important to be presented during the Plenary Oral Abstract Session. These abstracts typically represent critical, practice-changing research – science that may ultimately lead to advancements in donor and patient safety.
The abstracts chosen for this year’s Plenary Oral Abstract Session are:
AABB congratulates the researchers whose abstracts were chosen for this year’s Plenary Oral Abstract Session and looks forward to seeing them present their findings in October.
Transfusion is AABB’s scholarly, peer-reviewed monthly journal, publishing the latest on technological advances, clinical research and controversial issues related to transfusion medicine, blood banking, biotherapies and tissue transplantation. Access of Transfusion is free to all AABB members.
Learn More About Transfusion Journal
Keep abreast of what's happening in the field of biotherapies with CellSource - AABB's monthly update on the latest biotherapies news.
To submit news about the blood and biotherapies field to AABB, please email news@aabb.org.
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AABB is an international, not-for-profit association representing individuals and institutions involved in transfusion medicine, cellular therapies and patient blood management. The association is committed to improving health by developing and delivering standards, accreditation and educational programs that focus on optimizing patient and donor care and safety.
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