LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
REVIEWS
Chimerism, Transplant Tolerance, and Beyond #TBT bit.ly/3Ne93dg
The present review discusses current developments in tolerance induction for solid organ transplantation with a particular emphasis on chimerism-based approaches. It explains the basic mechanisms of chimerism-based tolerance and provides an update on ongoing clinical tolerance trials. The concept of “delayed tolerance” is presented, and ongoing preclinical studies in the nonhuman primate setting—including current limitations and hurdles regarding this approach—are illustrated. In addition, a brief overview and update on cell-based tolerogenic clinical trials is provided. In a critical approach, advantages, limitations, and potential implications for the future of these different regimens are discussed.Early Impact of MMaT-3 Policy on Liver Transplant Waitlist Outcomes for Hepatocellular Carcinoma #OpenAccess #VisualAbstract #TransplantTwitter bit.ly/3wR4OgB
To reduce the disparity in access to liver transplant (LT), United Network for Organ Sharing implemented an exception policy in May 2019, which capped hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) exception score to the median Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) at transplant within the donor service area minus 3 points (MMaT-3) after the 6-mo wait period. We aimed to evaluate how this policy affected HCC waitlist outcomes.With the advent of John Fung (USA) being elected as TTS President-Elect (2022-2024), the Vice President position (2022-2026) will be vacated at the end of the TTS 2022 Congress. This by-election is being held to fill this new vacancy.
Minnie Sarwal is a pediatric and adult transplant nephrologist who has worked in the field of transplantation since 1997. She has trained and worked in 3 continents (Asia, Europe and North America), and is passionate about improving outcomes after organ transplantation for both children and adult transplant recipients, globally. She has dedicated her career to advancing mechanisms and management of transplant rejection by innovations in immunosuppression design and diagnostic biomarkers, and directs an NIH-funded Precision Transplant Lab and has authored over 300 peer reviewed publications. She has been an elected IPTA Councilor (2006), IPTA Outreach Committee Chair (2010-2015), TTS KOL (2008-2012), elected TTS Councilor (2014-2018), TTS Junior Treasurer (2018-2020) and TTS Senior Treasurer (2020-2022). She founded the TTS-Transplantomics meeting (2010-15) and advises the FDA Commissioner on the FDA Science Board (2017- 2022). She is currently a Professor in Residence, Department of Surgery, the Medical Director of the Kidney-Pancreas Transplant Program and Co-Director of the T32 Training Grant in Transplant Surgery, at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF). She has previously been Professor, Pediatrics and Surgery, and Medical Director of the Pediatric Kidney Transplant Program at Stanford University where she developed the first complete steroid avoidance program for renal transplantation in infants and children. A prolific speaker and educator, Minnie holds the TTS-Roche Award for Outstanding Achievement in Transplantation Science (2010), National Kidney Foundation- Cuneo Richardson Award for Excellence in Research (2012), is a Capstone Mentor for the Berkeley-Haas Masters in Translational Medicine (MTM; 2015-2022) and is Chief Editor, Frontiers in Nephrology (Nature). Her vision for TTS is to improve outreach, alliances and advances in technology and diagnostics globally and to developing countries to improve outcomes and equity in transplantation.
Stefan G. Tullius, MD, PhD, FACS, is the Joseph E. Murray, MD Distinguished Chair in Transplant Surgery, Professor of Surgery, Harvard Medical School. He has roots in both Europe and the USA, and collaborations around the world. After training in Berlin, he was appointed Chief of Transplant Surgery and Director of the Transplant Surgery Research Lab at Brigham & Women’s Hospital, Boston, in 2005. Dr. Tullius has served as Councilor and Treasurer for TTS and has been on the Boards of ESOT and UNOS. He is currently a Board member of the National Kidney Registry and Vice President of the Int’l Society of Uterus Transplantation, now a section of TTS. He is an Executive Editor, Transplantation, a position he has held since 2014. He is also an Associate Editor of Transplant International (since 2004), the Korean Journal of Transplantation, and has been an Associate Editor for AJT. In addition to being an active transplant surgeon, Dr. Tullius runs a prolific NIHfunded laboratory. His international collaborations include institutions in China, India, Argentina, Japan and Germany. Dr. Tullius is proud of his many clinical and research mentees who have moved on with their own successful clinical and research careers. His own work has been recognized with several awards including the Clinical Science Investigator Award of the AST, Excellence in Transplantation Award by the National Kidney Foundation, and the Outstanding Ach ievement Award by TTS. Dr. Tullius looks forward to serving TTS advancing the society’s international clinical, scientific, and ethical mission.
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