Dear Colleagues,

First, I would like to thank Dr. Robert Fisher for his strong leadership as CTRMS council President over the last 2 years and I look forward to serving as President over the next 2 years. I would also like to thank all those who attended the CTRMS Congress in Lesvos, Greece in September 2019. It was a pleasure to see you all.

Just as our society, the program was diverse and broad, but with important common interests and aims. Speakers discussed advanced technical issues of enzymatic digestion, scaffolds encapsulation, engraftment, stems cells versus differentiated cell replacement. A wide range of cells, for example MSCs, beta-cells, amniotic epithelial cells and hepatocytes replacing or regenerating different organs, diseases or immune processes were presented. The program also included talks on clinical cell tracking, gene editing and bioethics. New approaches to preservation of cells, tissues and organs as well as new sources for organ and tissue donors were hot topics.

The CTRMS Council will continue to work on all of these important topics and lead in their development in the coming years.

The backbone of this society has always been our meetings where we can meet face-to-face, interact and discuss our passion, cell transplantation and regenerative medicine with likeminded researchers and clinicians. To facilitate interaction in between meetings we have established platforms on social media such as Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.

Any member who has interest in serving on any of our committees (Web and Social media committee or Young Investigator committee) please do not hesitate to contact either myself, the committee chairs or Suzanne Landis, our liaison with TTS.

As we look ahead, we are looking forward to hosting you in San Diego, California at our next Congress on October 20-25, 2021 where we will join forces for the 3rd time with the International Pancreas & Islet Transplant Association (IPITA) and the International Xenotransplantation Association (IXA).

Hope to see you all there,

Ewa Ellis
President, CTRMS