IXA Newsletter - November 2014

Top 10 Articles

In coordination with Xenotransplantation, we are pleased to report the Top 10 Cited Articles published in 2013 (see right column).

Xeno Prize

The 2013 IXA Carl-Gustav Groth Xeno Prize was awarded to Dr. Joshua P. Waldman of the University of Toledo and Dr. Thomas Vogel of the University Hospital of Munster. The title of the winning paper is “Blocking porcine sialoadhesin improves extracorporeal porcine liver xenoperfusion with human blood”. To view the abstract or access the content, please click here. Drs. Waldman and Vogel will be officially recognized during the 2015 Joint Congress in Melbourne, Australia. Judging of the 2014 Prize will commence soon. We would like to take this opportunity to encourage each member to submit their manuscript to  Xenotransplantation for a chance to win the 2015 Prize!

IXA Vanguard Committee

During the IXA 2013 Congress, IXA announced the formation of a Vanguard Committee. This Committee will provide a forum for students and junior faculty in the field to interact with future leaders in xenotransplantation and provide opportunities for professional development. Members of the Committee will be tasked with representing the junior members of IXA and work to increase the awareness of research trends and techniques that can advance the field of xenotransplantation. Chair of the Committee, Christopher Burlak and IXA's Past President, Bernhard Hering look forward to working with the new members of this Committee in the coming months.

Reemtsma Lecture

The IXA is pleased to announce the initiation of the biennial IXA Keith Reemtsma Lectureship.

The lectureship will honor the memory of Dr. Keith Reemtsma.  Dr. Reemtsma pioneered clinical xenotransplantation in 1963, transplanting kidneys from chimpanzees and a rhesus macaque to patients with renal failure.  His later work focused on xeno islets.  A founding member and Honorary Founding President of IXA, he collaborated with the other pioneers in the field, and either trained or encouraged the generations of scientists and surgeons who followed in their footsteps.  In addition to his many scientific accomplishments, his vision, humility, wisdom, and wit live on through the life and work of all who knew him.  This lectureship will serve as an enduring vehicle through which he can inspire future generations.

The IXA will endow this lectureship through fundraising from IXA members, and from Dr. Reemtsma’s many friends and colleagues around the world.  The lecture will honor an eminent scientist, recognizing her or his contribution to the field of xenotransplantation, and will be delivered at IXA’s biennial meeting.  The inaugural Reemtsma Lecture will be given at the IPITA-IXA-CTS joint meeting in Melbourne, Australia, November 15-19, 2015.  When and as circumstances allow, IXA Reemtsma Lectureship Fund’s endowment will also support an additional lecture in conjunction with TTS’s biennial meeting, which is held in alternate years to the IXA meeting.

Information about how to make a donation to the Reemtsma Lectureship Fund can be found here.

International Meetings

The 2nd International Conference on Clinical Islet Xenotransplantation (ICCIX) took place in San Francisco on August 1, 2014, after the WTC meeting. The objective of the 2nd ICCIX was to update the IXA Consensus Statement on Conditions For Undertaking Clinical Trials of Porcine Islet Products in Type 1 Diabetes, which was published in  Xenotransplantation in 2009. The meeting was well attended both onsite and through videoconferencing. Topics discussed included the regulatory framework, source pigs, pig islet cell products, preclinical efficacy and safety studies, recipient monitoring, patient selection, and ethical consideration. The updated IXA Consensus Statement will incorporate the current thinking of the participating opinion leaders active in the respective fields and will be published in a future issue of  Xenotransplantation.

Preparations are well under way for the upcoming Joint Meeting of the IPITA-IXA-CTS. It will be held in Melbourne, Australia from November 15 to 19, 2015 (for more information, please visit: www.melbourne2015.org). Renew your membership or become a new IXA member to be eligible for preferential registration rates and Scientific Awards!

The Cell Transplant Society and International Xenotransplantation Association will join together again to host the Second Joint Meeting of the CTS and IXA in 2017. This CTS-IXA meeting will follow the first joint meeting between the two societies held in Miami in 2011, which attracted specialists in cellular and xenotransplantation with great success.

Clinical Trials Guidelines

A commentary was written by Cooper et al asking if revisions of the IXA guidelines for clinical islet xenotransplantation are warranted.  The IXA recently published a consensus statement on conditions for undertaking clinical trials of xenocorneal transplantation in which Kim et al. reviewed ethical, logistical, scientific, and regulatory issues regarding xenocorneal transplantation. Prior guidelines and other regulatory documents can be found on the IXA website.

Prize for new IXA logo

The Council of IXA invite all members to provide ideas for a new logo for our Association. We have traditionally utilized the lamassu, a mythical Assyrian human-headed chimera, as our logo. Following recent discussions that the lamassu may present a confusing image to the general public, the Council would like to reimagine the logo as something more modern and stylized. Alternative logos can be submitted via email to the Association’s Manager at sections@tts.org. A professional designer and a sub-committee of the IXA will judge these logos, and free registration to the IXA meeting in Melbourne will be offered for the best logo design.

Xenotransplantation Journal Update

Xenotransplantation Journal Update

Xenotransplantation Goes Green! Since January 2014 all issues of  Xenotransplantation are available as an online-only publication. FREE e-mail content alerts notify you of articles and issues as they publish, saving you valuable research time. Customizable alerts are delivered straight to your inbox, in the frequency and format you prefer. Sign up at the journal website here and be the first to know when essential research is published.

Xeno to Go!

Xenotransplantation is coming soon to the Apple Newsstand! Soon you’ll be able to keep up to date with the most important developments in the field of xenotransplantation even faster, with complete issues available in new, full-text iPad and iPhone apps for  Xenotransplantation. Join or renew your IXA membership here to enjoy a new reading experience with FREE full access to apps!

Coming Soon

A major update to the Wiley Online Library: The Anywhere Article platform will dramatically improve the journal reading experience.

Please do not hesitate to contact the IXA to provide feedback or any suggestions (sections@tts.org).

Sincerely, 

Takaaki Kobayashi, IXA President
Peter Cowan, IXA President Elect
Agnes Azimzadeh, IXA Secretary & Communications Editor