Raphael P. H. Meier, M.D.-Ph.D. is an Associate Professor of Surgery at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and an abdominal transplant surgeon specializing in liver, kidney, and pancreas transplantation. His research focuses on xenotransplantation and stem cell–based immunomodulation to expand treatment options for end-stage organ failure. His lab develops microencapsulated and genetically engineered mesenchymal stem cells for cytokine delivery in liver diseases. He also investigates strategies to optimize islet survival and function using genetically engineered stem cells. An active Councilor for the International Xenotransplantation Association, Dr. Meier has authored over 100 publications and serves on editorial boards and committees in leading transplant societies.

Dr. Citro is Project Leader of the Pancreas Bioengineering Unit at the Diabetes Research Institute (DRI) at San Raffaele Hospital, Milan, Italy. He was trained to the organ decellularization and bio-engineering in the Ott lab at Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Boston, USA. His current research takes advantage of his background in beta cell replacement and regenerative medicine to bioengineer ex vivo the endocrine pancreas microenvironment. In this direction, he recently investigated on the opportunity to combine the neonatal pig islet with his bioengineering platforms. Since June 2023 he is a committee member of the Young Investigator Committee of the International Xenotrasplant Association.

Maggie Connolly, MD is a cardiac surgeon at the Brigham & Women’s Hospital. Dr. Connolly earned her undergraduate degree in Neuroscience from Washington & Lee University before matriculating at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. She completed her general and cardiothoracic surgical training at the Massachusetts General Hospital. During her surgical training, Dr. Connolly began her research in heart and lung xenotransplantation, which she continues today at the Pierson Laboratory within the MGH Center for Transplantation Sciences. She has been an active member of the International Xenotransplantation Association since 2019, and joined the IXA Young Investigator Committee in 2023.

Dr. Daniel Eisenson is a surgical fellow at Johns Hopkins Medicine specializing in transplantation research, with a focus on xenotransplantation. He has contributed to pioneering studies in pig-to-primate kidney and islet transplantation, including work on hypothermic machine perfusion to prevent hyperacute rejection. His research spans immunologic barriers, gene editing, tolerance induction, and the development of clinically relevant models for diabetic nephropathy. Dr. Eisenson has authored publications in Nature Communications, Frontiers in Immunology, and Communications Medicine. He collaborates closely with leaders in the field, including Dr. Kazuhiko Yamada, and is dedicated to advancing the science and clinical application of xenotransplantation.

Konrad Fischer is a postdoc researcher at the University of Munich doing research in Xenotransplantation.

Alessia Giarraputo is a postdoctoral fellow in the Immunopathology Research Laboratory at the Center for Transplantation Sciences, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School. She earned a degree in Pharmaceutical Biotechnology and a PhD in Translational Specialistic Medicine from the University of Padova. Her work applies single cell spatial transcriptomics to decipher alloimmune and xenoimmune responses in heart and kidney transplantation. She developed an FFPE mRNA based molecular diagnostic improving detection of cardiac allograft rejection. She also leads multimodal phenotyping in pig to human models and integrates multi omics to map pathways driving xenograft injury, informing next generation clinical diagnostics.

Corbin E. Goerlich, MD, PhD is a cardiac surgery fellow at Stanford Hospital and a former general surgery resident at The Johns Hopkins Hospital. He previously served as a postdoctoral fellow in the Cardiac Xenotransplantation Laboratory of Muhammad Mohiuddin, MD, and Bartley Griffith, MD, at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, where he earned his PhD in immunology. His doctoral thesis, “The Clinical Translation of Life-Supporting Cardiac Xenografts from Genetically Engineered Pigs for Human Transplantation,” focused on advancing the feasibility of xenotransplantation in clinical practice.

Dr. Goerlich additionally holds a BBA from Baylor University (Waco, TX) and received his MD from McGovern Medical School (Houston, TX).

Joe Ladowski is a surgical resident a Duke Surgery and is pursuing a research career in immunology, transplant tolerance, transplant graft rejection, and/or xenotransplantation.

Alban Longchamp, MD, PhD, is a transplant surgeon at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School. His research focuses on organ preservation and ischemia–reperfusion injury, with an emphasis on optimizing ex vivo perfusion to assess and rehabilitate marginal organs, including genetically modified organs for xenotransplantation. Trained in molecular biology, aging, and transplantation, he leads translational projects that integrate bench science with clinical application. He is committed to mentoring and fostering cross-disciplinary collaboration. His goal is to advance deployable preservation strategies that expand the donor pool and improve outcomes for patients requiring liver, kidney, and abdominal transplants.

Evelyn Salvaris is a Researcher at St Vincent's Hospital (Melbourne) active in the field of islet Xenotransplantation.

Jeffrey Stern is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Surgery at NYU Grossman School of Medicine. He participated to the development of the decedent model and has a strong interest in Xenotransplantation

Dr. Emilien Seizilles de Mazancourt is a urologic surgeon at Saint Louis Hospital, Paris, and a PhD candidate in transplantation science with the Paris Transplant Group under Professor Alexandre Loupy. Based at the Paris Cardiovascular Research Center (INSERM U970), his research focuses on xenotransplantation, emphasizing rejection mechanisms, ischemia–reperfusion injury, and applying precision medicine and multiomics to improve outcomes. He works within a collaborative French and international network, partnering with leading global centers in xenotransplantation research. Committed to academic medicine and innovation, his goal is to advance xenotransplantation from experimental models to clinical practice, supporting its future implementation.

Liaoran Wang, M.D., Ph.D., is a liver transplant surgeon and researcher at the Second Affiliated Hospital of Hainan Medical University. His work focuses on immunological challenges in porcine liver xenotransplantation, particularly recipient immune responses to genetically modified pig livers. He investigates the role of Kupffer cells in platelet clearance, innate immune activation, and mechanisms of anti-pig antibody formation, developing strategies to reduce antibody-mediated rejection. Using large animal models with molecular and cellular approaches, he studies immune modulation and graft-host interactions. His goal is to advance clinically applicable xenogeneic liver transplantation for end-stage liver disease.