Scientific report 2025 of the Paediatric Diseases Working Party (PDWP)

The third year of the current PDWP term under the chairmanship of Krzysztof Kalwak was marked by exceptional scientific productivity, strengthened multicentre collaborations, and a strong commitment to education.

Several large retrospective and registry-based studies were advanced or initiated, leading to high-quality publications in leading international journals. These included analyses comparing αβ T-cell–depleted versus post-transplant cyclophosphamide–based haploidentical HSCT in acute leukaemia, accepted as an oral presentation at ASH. Overall scientific output in 2025 reached a cumulative impact factor of 71, the second highest in the Working Party’s history, highlighting the PDWP’s ability to address clinically urgent questions and generate robust long-term outcome data through international collaboration.

New projects addressed emerging topics such as MSD cord blood transplantation in malignant and non-malignant disorders, allogeneic SCT for paediatric relapsed/refractory KMT2A-rearranged AML in complete remission, and outcomes in children with early post-transplant relapse in AML. Numerous abstracts were submitted to the Annual Meeting of EBMT and to ASH, many as joint initiatives with other EBMT Working Parties, underscoring the PDWP’s collaborative spirit. Close collaboration within the Westhafen International Group, including colleagues from the US and Canada, resulted in the publication of two important white papers in top-ranked scientific journals.

Education remained a central pillar of PDWP activities. The PDWP Educational Meeting held in June 2025 in Wrocław brought together international faculty and highly engaged young investigators in a strong atmosphere of mentorship and scientific exchange. The paediatric track at the 10th International Transplant and Cellular Therapy Course further strengthened structured paediatric education within EBMT.

At the Annual Meeting of EBMT in March 2025 in Florence, the Dietrich-Niethammer Award was presented to Professor Peter Bader (Frankfurt), honouring his outstanding lifetime contributions to paediatric stem cell transplantation and his role as a leading figure within the PDWP community.

Throughout 2025, the PDWP continued to support young investigators, promote harmonisation initiatives, and foster inclusive, high-quality scientific collaboration across Europe and beyond.