Transplantation Updates

Transplantation - Highlighted Tweets

Solid organ transplantation saves the lives of thousands suffering from end-stage diseases. Although early transplants experienced acute organ injury, medical breakthroughs, such as tissue typing, and use of immunosuppressive agents have considerably improved graft survival. However, the overall incidence of allograft injury and chronic rejection remains high. Often the clinical manifestations of organ injury or rejection are nonspecific and late. Current requirements for successful organ transplantation are the identification of reliable, accurate, disease-specific, and noninvasive methods for the early diagnosis of graft injury or rejection.

Steroid avoidance in kidney transplantation has been proven noninferior. Long-term outcome data on steroid avoidance in simultaneous pancreas-kidney (SPK) remains scant. Utilizing the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients between 2000 and 2020, we studied all primary crossmatch negative SPK recipients (N = 5683) who received antithymocyte globulin induction and were discharged alive with functioning grafts on tacrolimus and mycophenolate ± steroid maintenance.

Transplantation Direct - Highlighted Tweet

The objective of this study was to compare the long-term outcomes of older (50–65 y) type 1 diabetics with body mass index <35 kg/m2 and type 2 diabetics with body mass index <30 kg/m2 who received simultaneous pancreas kidney transplantation (SPKT) versus living donor kidney transplants (LDKTs). All subjects had insulin-dependent diabetes. This is a retrospective single-center study from July 2003 to March 2021 with a median follow-up of 7.5 y.

Donor-derived cell-free DNA (dd-cfDNA) is a useful biomarker for the diagnosis of acute allograft injury within the first 1 to 2 y after lung transplant, but its utility for diagnosing chronic lung allograft dysfunction (CLAD) has not yet been studied. Understanding baseline dd-cfDNA kinetics beyond the initial 2 y posttransplant is a necessary first step in determining the utility of dd-cfDNA as a CLAD biomarker. We seek to establish baseline dd-cfDNA% levels in clinically stable lung allograft recipients who are >2 y posttransplant.

Survey on Transplant Infections

Australasian Kidney Trials Network

Identifying patient, caregiver and health professional perspectives for the design of a trial to prevent urinary tract infection in kidney transplant recipients

Deadline - March 31, 2023

Start the Survey

Urinary tract infections survey - invitation to participate in a 5-10 minute survey to identify important aspects to include in a clinical trial.

Urinary tract infection after transplantation was identified by patients, caregivers and health professionals as an important infection.

We are inviting patients, caregivers and health professionals to complete a survey to identify what aspects of urinary tract infections are important, when designing a clinical trial to prevent transplant-associated urinary tract infections. These aspects may include the population to target, the treatments to evaluate, and the outcomes that are important to report in the trial. Participation is voluntary and anonymous, and you may exit the survey at any time.

Further information can be found on the Participant Information Sheet. All participants will receive a copy of the results. The survey will close March 31, 2023.

Please complete these questions on your own. By clicking “begin”, you are consenting for your data to be used for research purposes.

Click the following link to begin: Start survey or copy and paste the URL (https://uqmedicine.syd1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_d42Jdb9JDXvpG6i) into your Internet browser:

Your opinion will be valuable and important to help ensure that we consider the most important aspects of urinary tract infection in kidney transplant trials. Participation in this survey will not impact the care provided to patients in any way. If you have any questions, please email contact us at samuel.chan@uqconnect.edu.au

If you would like to speak to an officer of the University not involved in the study, you may contact the Ethics Coordinator at 617 3365 3924 / 617 3443 1656 or email (humanethics@research.uq.edu.au)

Thank you for considering the invitation to participate.

TTS Representation at WCN 2023!

TTS President Elmi Muller and TTS Executive Director Marcelle McPhaden will be attending WCN and would welcome meeting you!

Let us know if you will be attending WCN and to hear more about activities we are planning! Email us at initiatives@tts.org for details!

Highlighted Sessions

Research Grants Program

TTS will provide funding to three individual investigators to support their research in transplantation. The spectrum of studies includes basic, clinical/epidemiological and translational. This individual should have spent five years or less performing research in transplantation (and/or immunology relating to transplant) since obtaining their last doctoral degree (PhD, MD, PharmD, or equivalent). One of these research grants will be preferentially designated to TTS members from a low- or middle-income country. Please send application materials and any questions to jennifer.groverman@tts.org.

Please note, only applicants whose notice of intent is accepted by April 30th by our peer-review committee will be eligible to submit a full grant application.

Download Notice of Intent (.pdf)

Download Application Cover Page (.pdf)

Download Detailed Information (.pdf)

Women in Transplantation Research Grants

2023-2025 WIT Fellowship Grants and Inaugural LMIC Grants
for Research in Gender and Sex in Transplantation

Application Deadline: April 1, 2023

The Women in Transplantation executive is very excited to announce the 2023 WIT funding opportunities. This year, we are thrilled to be able to support THREE 2-year Fellowships. This will be the third year that we are offering these fellowships.

In addition, for the first time, we are also offering ONE grant open to faculty working in low or middle income countries. This very special new grant will allow transplant professionals working in low and middle income countries to work with an experienced mentor from among the WIT membership to address an important question within their own unique context. We hope that this award will spur exciting international collaborations and build more research capacity in lower resource settings.

Research Fellowship Grants

Click here for more details

Grants for LMIC

Click here for more details

If you have any further questions and for information on how to apply, please contact Katie Tait (WIT Manager) at katie.tait@tts.org to request more information.

Report on earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria

Report from Baskent Unversity following the devastating earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria

We have set up a donation page for victims of the earthquake - click for details

Following the devastating earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria on Monday, February 6, 2023, more than 34000 people have lost their lives and tens of thousands have been injured. Relief efforts are ongoing one week after the quake struck and aid campaigns are being organized from all over Turkey and the world.