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TTS 2026 - Help Celebrate the People Behind TTS

Deadline extended to August 10, 2026

2026-2028 WIT Research Grant Winners

Women in Transplantation is delighted to announce the winners of our Research Grants for 2026!

Germaine Wong

Women in Transplantation Chair
TTS Councilor

These include the WIT Research Fellowship in Gender and Sex Award winner, the WIT Research Grant for Projects on Gender and Sex in Transplantation (LMIC) winner, and the WIT Research Grant for Projects on Gender and Sex and Solid Organ Transplantation amongst Indigenous Populations winner.

This is the sixth year that we are able to offer the Research Fellowship award, which will support the next generation of scientists, furthering our understanding of the importance of sex and gender in transplantation. This is a growing field of interest and the more we learn the closer we are to applying these findings to clinical care to benefit patients and donors.

WIT also wish to take this opportunity to announce the winner of the Women in Transplantation Research Grant for faculty working in low or middle income (LMIC) countries. This is the fourth year which we have been able to fund this grant, which we hope will continue to really make a difference to transplantation in LMIC and to research capacity in these countries.

For the second year now, we are proud to be able to fund a Women in Transplantation Research Grant for Projects in Gender and Sex and SOT amongst Indigenous Populations.

We look forward to collaborating with these teams, and to learning from the findings of their exciting research projects.

Complete Details

WIT Fellowship Award Winner

Anna Quarder, Germany

Project Title:
"Sex Differences in the Ageing Graft: Identifying Protective Mechanisms Delaying Cellular Senescence"

WIT Research Grant for Projects on Gender and Sex in Transplantation (LMIC) Winner

Dr. Zibya Barday, South Africa

Project Title:
"Exploring Potential Sex-based disparities in Kidney Failure, Chronic Dialysis and Kidney Transplantation: a two-phased South African based study"

WIT Research Grant for Projects on Gender and Sex and SOT amongst Indigenous Populations Winner

Kelli Owen, Australia

Project Title:
"The Role of Gender in Creating Cultural Safety in the Treatment of Indigenous People with Chronic Kidney Disease either living with transplant and/or waiting for a transplant, and/or wanting but not receiving a transplant – Identifying the Key Responsibilities & Barriers for First Nations Women"

Webinar Rewind - In Case You Missed It!

Click here to view recording

Transplantation Journal Highlights

Behind the Paper Podcast
Navigating Hantavirus Risk in Transplantation: Implications for Clinical Practice

Introduction

INTRODUCTION

In this episode of Behind the Paper, host Macey Levan, Social Media Editor, speaks with Dr. Robert J. Rolfe of Duke University and Dr. Camille N. Kotton of Harvard Medical School, authors of the perspective article “Navigating Hantavirus Risk in Transplantation: Implications for Clinical Practice,” published in Transplantation.

The discussion explores how hantaviruses are transmitted, why Andes virus is unique among hantaviruses, and the diagnostic and clinical challenges these infections may present in immunocompromised transplant recipients.

Although hantavirus infections remain rare, the guests emphasize the importance of awareness, careful exposure histories, pre-travel counseling, and early clinical evaluation. Transplant recipients should not necessarily avoid travel, but they should understand destination-specific risks and take appropriate preventive measures.

Resources

CDC Yellow Book: Immunocompromised Travelers

CDC Travelers’ Health: Destinations

Listen to the Podcast

TTS Pulse Podcasts · Episode 30: Behind the Paper: Navigating Hantavirus Risk in Transplantation: Implications for Clinical Practice

Full Details

Rising Stars: The Editorial Fellows Series

Meet our newest Editorial Fellow, Dr Jasper Iske

Jasper Iske

Cardiac Surgeon
Charité Berlin, Germany
Editorial Fellow

Dr. Jasper Iske is a cardiac surgeon enrolled in the Clinician Scientist Program at Charité Berlin in Germany and an internationally recognized researcher in transplantation immunology, with a focus on age-specific immune responses. Following a research fellowship at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, under Prof. Stefan G. Tullius, he made significant contributions to the understanding of age-related ischemia–reperfusion injury, alloimmune responses to aged organs, and age-adapted immunosuppression.

His pioneering work on senolytics for transplanting old donor organs in Nature Communications earned major international awards. He currently investigates senotherapeutics during ex vivo perfusion to improve outcomes of older organs. Moreover, he is engaging himself in supporting young medical students in pursuing an international research career through the Biomedical Education Program where he serves as vice-chair.

As an Editorial Fellow for Transplantation and Transplantation Direct, he will focus on advancing science communication through social media, promoting the dissemination of high-quality transplant research to both the scientific community and the broader public.

“Organ transplantation remains the only curative treatment for end-stage organ failure, yet the persistent shortage of donor organs continues to limit access to this life-saving therapy. I believe that advancing organ donation is a shared societal responsibility. As the saying goes: 'Don't take your organs to heaven—they are needed here on earth´.”

Transplantation Journal - Social Media Content

Simultaneous Liver-kidney Versus Liver Transplantation Categorized by Pretransplant eGFR: Impact of the 2017 OPTN Policy

Simultaneous liver-kidney transplantation (SLKT) has increased substantially in the United States since adoption of the Model for End-stage Liver Disease-based allocation, now comprising 9%–10% of liver transplants. The survival benefit of SLKT compared with liver transplantation alone (LTA) remains uncertain.

Oxygenated Perfusion Enhances Hepatocyte Function in Human iPSC-liver Tissue

Organ transplantation remains the only curative treatment for end-stage organ failure. However, a critical shortage of donor organs presents a major challenge. Human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-derived organoids represent a promising technology for generating transplantable human tissues. This study aimed to create functional and scalable tissue from hiPSC-derived liver organoids (hiPSC-LOs) by establishing an oxygenation system using a decellularized liver (DL), which retains the parenchymal and vascular extracellular matrix to support cell adhesion and medium perfusion.

Organ Donation and Transplantation Worldwide: The Global Observatory on Donation and Transplantation 2024 Report

Solid organ transplantation has evolved globally as an established and life-saving treatment for patients with end-stage organ failure.

The Kidney–immune Axis: How Erythropoietin Regulates Tolerance and Rejection

Erythropoietin (EPO) is classically viewed as a kidney-derived hormone essential for erythropoiesis, yet accumulating evidence places it at the center of complex interactions between the kidney and the immune system. The kidney is both a frequent target of immune-mediated injury and an organ with distinctive tolerogenic properties, capable in experimental models of inducing acceptance of otherwise rejection-prone allografts. Herein, we review experimental and clinical data showing that EPO, through its homodimeric EPO receptor (EPOR) or heterodimer EPOR/CD131 receptors, shapes both adaptive and innate immunity in ways that are directly relevant to tolerance and rejection. EPO selectively restrains effector T cells while preserving and expanding regulatory T cells through a macrophage-mediated production of active transforming growth factor β. EPO inhibits TH17 differentiation and skews the T follicular helper/T follicular regulatory (TFH/TFR) balance toward regulation, resulting in reduced germinal center B-cell activity and diminished allo- and autoantibody production.

Transplantation Direct - Social Media Content

Reevaluating Donor-recipient Sex Mismatch and Survival After Liver Transplantation: A Contemporary Cohort Study

Identifying an optimally matched donor is a critical determinant of outcomes following liver transplantation (LT). Several donor- and recipient-related factors have been shown to influence posttransplant survival. However, the impact of donor-recipient sex mismatch (DRSM) on long-term outcomes remains controversial, with inconsistent findings reported across prior studies. This study aimed to further clarify the contemporary role of DRSM in LT outcomes.

Management of Norovirus Infection in Solid Organ Transplant Recipients: A Scoping Review

Norovirus infection causes significant morbidity in solid organ transplant (SOT) recipients, yet few treatments are available, and evidence for efficacy is sparse. In this scoping review, we identify and evaluate potential interventions for managing norovirus infections in SOT recipients.

Optimization of Valganciclovir for Treatment of Cytomegalovirus Infection in Pediatric Liver Transplant Recipients: A Prospective Pharmacokinetic Study

Valganciclovir (VGCV) is the first-line therapeutic agent for cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection following pediatric liver transplantation (LT). The dosage for pediatric patients is either determined by body weight (BW dose) or body surface area (BSA) and renal function (7 × BSA [m2] × creatinine clearance (CrCl) [mL/min/1.73 m2]) (BSA dose). However, the optimal dosing strategy for achieving target drug exposure for CMV treatment remains unclear.

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In Case You Missed It...

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In the News

Pre-existing and New-Onset Diabetes Up Mortality Among Organ Transplant Recipients

July 17 - Pre-existing and new-onset (NODAT) diabetes increase mortality risk to a comparable degree among major organ transplant recipients and the risk persists over time, according to study findings presented at ENDO2026. Other research points out potential risk factors.

July 16 - In findings that challenge long-standing beliefs, researchers have shown that bilateral lung transplant may extend the lives of selected patients with stage IV non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Experts stress, however, that no one is calling it a cure — and that only a small fraction of patients would be candidates.

July 17 - Using parts from a pet store and hardware shop, a medical student built a system that could one day replace organ transplants. His company now focuses on building medical products that use the body’s own cells to regrow new organs or parts of the body, according to the outlet.

July 11 - Tracking adults with terminal lunch cancer confined to the lungs who were out of treament options, doctors found lung transplantation was associated with substantially better early survival than medical manaement alone. Seventeen such patients underwent lung transplant and 81 received medical management alone, a study reported in JAMA.

July 12 - Taiwan has some of Asia’s most advanced organ transplant capabilities, but family opposition and misconceptions about organ donation continue to leave thousands of people waiting for organs each year, doctors said recently.

July 11 - Older age was independently associated with better post-transplant survival in newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients receiving venetoclax (Venclexta, AbbVie/Genentech) and a hypomethylating agent (HMA) (Ven-HMA), according to a presentation at the 2026 ASCO Annual Meeting.

July 11 - Using an orbital bioprinter, California-based Auxilium Biotechnologies successfully manufactured tissues containing human kidney, liver, and cartilage cells in space, marking the first reported production of kidney and liver tissues beyond Earth.

July 9 - Should surgeons be allowed to perform euthanasia by removing patients' hearts and other organs while they're still alive? The idea, dubbed "Death by Organ Donation," would enable euthanasia patients to donate organs for transplantation in a way that would make their organs more likely to be usable. It would also kill them.

July 8 - A landmark study from the Northwestern Medicine Canning Thoracic Institute, published today in JAMA, suggests lung transplantation can significantly extend survival in select patients with advanced lung cancer.

July 8 - A team of University of Oklahoma researchers has developed a noninvasive imaging approach that could help transplant teams evaluate donor livers more comprehensively and make faster, more informed decisions.

July 9 - A comprehensive review systematically examines the phylogeny, tissue origins, subsets, and functional diversity of macrophages, with a particular focus on their central role as drivers of chronic rejection. The review also summarizes emerging strategies targeting key macrophage signaling pathways, providing an important conceptual shift from a T cell-centered paradigm toward integrated innate-adaptive immune regulation in transplantation.

Upcoming Meetings and Announcements

TTS 2026

September 20-23, 2026
Sydney, Australia

31st International Congress of The Transplantation Society

ISUTx 2026 SOTA

October 16-17, 2026
Sao Paulo, Brazil

5th State-of-the-Art Meeting of the International Society of Uterus Transplantation

Member Login

TTS 2026 Newsltter - Countdown has begun!

TTS 2026 - Help Celebrate the People Behind TTS

Deadline extended to August 10, 2026

2026-2028 WIT Research Grant Winners