Today's episode focuses on Measles Risk Reduction Strategies for Transplant Patients.

This podcast was originally recorded as a webinar on March 14, 2025.

In this episode, our moderator, Dr. John Baddley, is joined by guest speakers:
Dr. Stephanie Pouch,
Dr. Ricardo La Hoz,
Dr. Camille N. Kotton,
Dr. Lara Danziger-Isakov.

Together, they explore: The clinical features of measles in immunosuppressed patients,
 Current global epidemiology, and the latest prevention and treatment strategies.

Multiple measles outbreaks have recently been reported worldwide—
representing a unique and serious threat to transplant recipients.

Stay tuned for this important discussion.

Safeguarding Transplant Recipients: Measles Risk Reduction Strategies

Stefan Tullius (Editor-in-Chief) discusses the recent publication of the Fourth International Consensus Guidelines on the Management of Cytomegalovirus in Solid Organ Transplantation with Camille Kotton and Atul Humar. This updated international consensus—developed by leading CMV experts with support from The Transplantation Society—reflects major advances in CMV diagnostics, prevention, treatment, and surveillance.
Watch the video at https://tts.org/cmv4

Stefan Tullius, Camille Kotton and Atul Humar discuss the 4th Consensus Guidelines on the Management of Cytomegalovirus in Solid Organ Transplantation

Episode 2: Meeting Report: The Sixth International Sam Strober Workshop on Clinical Immune Tolerance

Join our panel of experts who discuss important topics in Xenotransplantation. This panel discussion is complemented by a series of related articles recently published in Transplantation Journal. (click the titles below to view the papers)

Episode 3: Xenotransplantation: Updates from the Transplantation Journal

In this podcast we discuss the urgent need to develop new tools for organ assessment, new methods to enhance organ recovery, and new sources of organs suitable for transplant. These efforts will expand access to life-saving transplants.

Episode 4: Scientific Advances in the Assessment, Modification, and Generation of Transplantable Organs for Patients with End-stage Organ Diseases

-Title: Advancing Patient Monitoring, Diagnostics, and Treatment Strategies for Transplant Precision Medicine

This is part two in a three-part webinar series based on recent Clinical Series publications in The Lancet on Solid Organ Transplantation:
🔗 https://www.thelancet.com/series-do/o...

This webinar series is a collaboration between The Lancet, The Transplantation Society (TTS), the American Society of Transplantation (AST), and the European Society for Organ Transplantation (ESOT).

Featuring:
Jennifer Li (Chair), Australia – TTS Education Co-Chair
Peter Reese (Organizer), United States
Marta Sablik (Panelist), France
Alexandre Loupy (Panelist), France

Overview:
Transplant medicine faces substantial challenges, as patients require lifelong immunosuppression to prevent graft rejection. Immunosuppressive regimens to date, while reasonably effective at preventing acute rejection, cause numerous health complications, compromising quality of life and patient survival. A shift towards personalised immunosuppression is needed to improve allograft health, reduce long-term adverse effects, and optimise post- transplant outcomes. This necessity has driven advancements in post-transplant monitoring and diagnostics. Innovative monitoring biomarkers and novel diagnostic modalities have been developed to advance transplant care, with many showing promise for widespread clinical implementation. With advances in artificial intelligence, algorithms have the potential to integrate multidimensional data on the immune system and allograft health, offering a comprehensive view of transplant status. This Series paper highlights the state of post-transplant immunosuppression, monitoring, and diagnostics, emphasising the transformative role of emerging innovations to personalise both allograft and patient care. Their implications could extend to xenotransplantation, further broadening their potential to redefine transplant medicine.

Learning Objectives:
- Understand the current challenges and limitations associated with lifelong immunosuppression in transplant recipients
- Have an overview of the recent advancements in post-transplant monitoring tools and diagnostic biomarkers, with a focus on their clinical potential for personalizing immunosuppressive regimens
- Outline future research priorities necessary to validate, standardize, and implement innovative diagnostic strategies in routine transplant clinical practice
- Outline the emerging role of artificial intelligence in transplant medicine, including how it may be used to integrate complex immunological and clinical data to enhance graft monitoring and decision-making

For more information visit the 🔗 Webinar Homepage: https://tts.org/lancet1

About the Series:
Solid organ transplantation offers tremendous benefits for patients with end-stage organ disease. However, key challenges persist: organ shortages, immunosuppression-related toxicities, and inequities in access.
This Lancet Clinical Series explores opportunities to address these issues:

Upcoming Webinars:

Part 1 – July 7, 2025
Scientific Advances in the Assessment, Modification, and Generation of Transplantable Organs for Patients with End-stage Organ Diseases
View recording:  https://tts.org/lancet1

Part 3 – July 25, 2025
Policy Innovations to Advance Equity in Solid Organ Transplantation
More details and registration: https://tts.org/lancet3

Episode 5: Advancing Patient Monitoring, Diagnostics & Treatment Strategies ...

-Title: Policy Innovations to Advance Equity in Solid Organ Transplantation

This is part three in a three-part webinar series based on recent Clinical Series publications in The Lancet on Solid Organ Transplantation:
🔗 https://www.thelancet.com/series-do/organ-transplantation

This webinar series is a collaboration between The Lancet, The Transplantation Society (TTS), the American Society of Transplantation (AST), and the European Society for Organ Transplantation (ESOT).

This webinar series is a collaboration between The Lancet, The Transplantation Society (TTS), the American Society of Transplantation (AST), and the European Society for Organ Transplantation (ESOT).

Featuring:
Jennifer Li (Chair), Australia – TTS Education Co-Chair
Peter Reese (Organizer / Speaker), United States
Elmi Muller (Panelist) South Africa
Lisa McElroy (Panelist) United States

Objectives:
- Understand how barriers to transplantation emerge at different steps across the patient journal from referral to evaluation through transplantation and follow-up care
- Describe global variation in access to transplantation, including differences in access to living donor versus deceased donor transplantation
- Describe global variation in access to high quality care after transplantation
- Describe how national policies can improve transplant equity, but must be tailored to the local context
- Identify knowledge gaps in how transplant equity might be achieved in the future

For more information visit the 🔗 Webinar Homepage: https://tts.org/lancet1

About the Series:
Solid organ transplantation offers tremendous benefits for patients with end-stage organ disease. However, key challenges persist: organ shortages, immunosuppression-related toxicities, and inequities in access.
This Lancet Clinical Series explores opportunities to address these issues:

Upcoming Webinars:

Part 1 – July 7, 2025
Scientific Advances in the Assessment, Modification, and Generation of Transplantable Organs for Patients with End-stage Organ Diseases
View recording:  https://tts.org/lancet1

Part 2 – July 17, 2025
Advancing Patient Monitoring, Diagnostics, and Treatment Strategies for Transplant Precision Medicine
View recording: https://tts.org/lancet2

Episode 6: Policy Innovations to Advance Equity in Solid Organ Transplantation

𝗖𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗲 𝗡. 𝗞𝗼𝘁𝘁𝗼𝗻 (𝗧𝗧𝗦 𝗘𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗶𝗿) 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗼-𝗵𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗳𝗮𝗻 𝗚. 𝗧𝘂𝗹𝗹𝗶𝘂𝘀 (𝗘𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗼𝗿-𝗶𝗻-𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗲𝗳, 𝘛𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝗝𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗮𝗹𝘀) 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘬 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝗕𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗹𝗲𝘆 𝗝. 𝗚𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘵 𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘮’𝘴 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗹𝘺 𝗽𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗲𝗱 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝘂𝘴𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗽𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝘛𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯: “𝗚𝗹𝗼𝗯𝗮𝗹 𝗜𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗲 𝗕𝗶𝗼𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗗𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗿 𝗦𝗲𝗿𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘁𝘂𝘀 𝗖𝗮𝗻 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗰𝘁 𝗖𝘆𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗴𝗮𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗿𝘂𝘀 𝗜𝗻𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗪𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻 𝗦𝗲𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗟𝘂𝗻𝗴 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀.”

𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗹𝗲:
https://journals.lww.com/transplantjo...

𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗢𝗯𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀
1. Discuss the role of immune biomarkers in predicting CMV and other infections in lung transplant recipients.
2. Explore advantages and limitations of absolute lymphocyte count (ALC) as a predictor.
3. Review data from Gardiner et al. evaluating ALC and mitogen values as predictors of CMV in R+ lung transplant recipients.
4. Highlight recent TTS CMV guidelines relevant to this topic.
—
𝗙𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 & 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻 𝗠𝗼𝗿𝗲
• 𝗧𝗧𝗦: https://tts.org
• 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗝𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗮𝗹𝘀: https://transplantjournal.com

This podcast is for educational purposes and is not a substitute for professional medical advice.

Episode 7: Immune Biomarkers for CMV Infection

Allan Massie discusses the recent publication "Landscape of US Waitlist Registrants who Received Transplantation Abroad"

Dr. Allan Massie was interviewed during WTC22025 by our Social Media Editor, Macey Levan, about the recent publication in Transplantation.

This study examined the trend of US transplant waitlist candidates receiving transplants abroad from 2010 to 2023. On average, 58.4 transplants occurred annually, peaking at 80 in 2017. Kidney transplants were the most common, accounting for 92.1% of cases. Popular destinations included the Philippines, India, Mexico, China, and Iran. During the COVID-19 pandemic, India and Mexico saw the least decline in transplant numbers. Most recipients were US citizens or residents, but nonresidents and Asian candidates were more likely to travel abroad for transplants. Understanding these patterns is crucial for managing posttransplant care and addressing resource impacts on destination countries.

About Allan Massie: https://med.nyu.edu/faculty/allan-b-massie
Associate Professor, Department of Surgery at NYU Grossman School of Medicine
Associate Professor, Department of Population Health at NYU Grossman School of Medicine
Director, Center for Surgical and Transplant Applied Research (C-STAR) Quantitative Core
-
About the Journal
The official Journal of The Transplantation Society. Transplantation (https://transplantjournal.com) is published monthly and is a highly cited and influential journal in the field, with more than 25,000 citations per year.
-
The Transplantation Society - Learn more about our journla:
https://tts.org/journal/transplantation-journal

Episode 8: Behind The Paper with Allan Massie - Transplantation Journal

Behind the Paper with Richard Formica.
Richard Formica discusses the recent publication in Transplantation journal "The Economic Value of Volunteers Directing and Managing the US Organ Donation and Transplantation System"

View the full paper: 
https://journals.lww.com/transplantjournal/fulltext/2025/03000/the_economic_value_of_volunteers_directing_and.30.aspx

About the Journal
The official Journal of The Transplantation Society. Transplantation (https://transplantjournal.com) is published monthly and is a highly cited and influential journal in the field, with more than 25,000 citations per year.
-
The Transplantation Society - Learn more about our journla:
https://tts.org/journal/transplantation-journal
-
More about Richard Formica
https://medicine.yale.edu/profile/richard-formica

Episode 9: Behind the Paper with Richard Formica - Transplantation Journal

SGLT2 Inhibitors and GLP-1 Receptor Agonists in Kidney Transplantation: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Dr. Leonardo Riella was interviewed by our Social Media Editor, Macey Levan, about the recent publication in Transplantation.

Kidney transplant (KT) recipients experience high rates of cardiovascular disease, allograft dysfunction, and diabetes, negatively impacting long-term outcomes. Sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) and glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) provide cardiovascular and kidney benefits in non-KT recipients, but evidence in KT recipients remains limited. This systematic review and meta-analysis provide updated evidence on the efficacy and safety of SGLT2i and GLP-1RAs on KT recipients.

Original Article:
https://journals.lww.com/transplantjournal/fulltext/9900/sglt2_inhibitors_and_glp_1_receptor_agonists_in.1154.aspx
-
About the Journal
The official Journal of The Transplantation Society. Transplantation (https://transplantjournal.com) is published monthly and is a highly cited and influential journal in the field, with more than 25,000 citations per year.
-
The Transplantation Society - Learn more about our journla:
https://tts.org/journal/transplantation-journal

Episode 10: Behind The Paper - Leonardo Riella - Transplantation Journal

Macey Levan sits down with  Richard Formica and Rexanah Wyse Morrissette to discuss the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) .
-
More about Richard Formica
https://medicine.yale.edu/profile/richard-formica/
-
About Rexanah Wyse Morrissette
https://spp.umd.edu/our-community/faculty-staff/rexanah-wyse-morrissette
-
About the Journal
The official Journal of The Transplantation Society. Transplantation (https://transplantjournal.com) is published monthly and is a highly cited and influential journal in the field, with more than 25,000 citations per year.
-
The Transplantation Society - Learn more about our journla:
https://tts.org/journal/transplantation-journal

Episode 11: Organ Procurement & Transplantation Network (OPTN) discussion with Richard Formica and Rexanah Wyse

David K.C. Cooper discusses the recent publication "The Relative Roles of Inflammation in Kidney Allotransplantation and Xenotransplantation"

The nature and severity of the inflammatory response influences the outcome of organ allotransplantation and xenotransplantation. In allotransplantation, the source of the allograft, for example, from a living, brain-dead, or circulatory death donor, influences the inflammatory response, as do such factors as the preexisting comorbidities and the length of the period of chronic kidney disease in the recipient and the management he/she has received. There is also inflammation associated with the transplant surgery, for example, as a result of ischemia-reperfusion injury. In xenotransplantation, inflammation associated with donor factors will be reduced and, as the patients will receive a pig graft at a much earlier stage of their chronic organ failure, the contribution of recipient factors should also be reduced. However, there is a well-documented systemic inflammatory response to the presence of a pig xenograft (probably associated with species molecular differences) that plays a role in activating the innate immune response. Indeed, there is a complex interaction between inflammation, coagulation dysfunction, and the innate and adaptive immune responses. Suppression of the inflammatory response, for example, by interleukin-6 receptor blockade, would appear to be beneficial after xenotransplantation. Several biomarkers of inflammation have been identified that may be valuable in assessing the response to therapy.

Read the publication: 
https://journals.lww.com/transplantjournal/fulltext/9900/the_relative_roles_of_inflammation_in_kidney.1173.aspx
-
About the Journal
The official Journal of The Transplantation Society. Transplantation (https://transplantjournal.com) is published monthly and is a highly cited and influential journal in the field, with more than 25,000 citations per year.
-
The Transplantation Society - Learn more about our journla:
https://tts.org/journal/transplantation-journal

Episode 12: Behind The Paper - David K.C. Cooper - Transplantation Journal

About Kyle R. Jackson, MD, PhD
Kyle R. Jackson, MD PhD is an Assistant Professor of Surgery at the University of Pennsylvania and a Senior Scholar at the Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics. He is a clinically active transplant surgeon with a clinical practice focused on adult and pediatric kidney transplantation, pancreas transplantation, and laparoscopic kidney donation. His primary research interest is in characterizing the impact of climate change and environmental pollutants on human health, with a particular focus on healthcare utilization and disease burden. His clinical practice has also led to a special interest in understanding how these environmental factors impact transplant patients, who are uniquely susceptible to these effects due to the profound immunomodulation necessary to facilitate successful transplantation as well as highly prevalent place-based vulnerabilities. He also uses national registry and claims-based datasets to solve clinically relevant problems in solid organ transplantation - such as identifying optimal transplant strategies for the immunologically high-risk, quantifying and improving equity and access to organ transplantation, and characterizing the clinical and financial impact of post-transplant complications. Dr. Jackson has received direct research support as a Principal Investigator from both foundational and federal sources, such as the NIH/NIDDK and the Doris Duke Foundation.
-
About the Journal
The official Journal of The Transplantation Society. Transplantation (https://transplantjournal.com) is published monthly and is a highly cited and influential journal in the field, with more than 25,000 citations per year.
-
The Transplantation Society - Learn more about our journla:
https://tts.org/journal/transplantation-journal

Episode 13: Behind The Paper - Kyle Jackson - Transplantation Journal

Macey Levan interviews Linda Cendales about Vascularized Composite Allotransplantation (VCA) .
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About Linda Carime Cendales
https://surgery.duke.edu/profile/linda-carime-cendales
-
About the Journal
The official Journal of The Transplantation Society. Transplantation (https://transplantjournal.com) is published monthly and is a highly cited and influential journal in the field, with more than 25,000 citations per year.
-
The Transplantation Society - Learn more about our journla:
https://tts.org/journal/transplantation-journal

Episode 14: Meet the VCA Surgeon - Linda Cendales - Transplantation Journal

Macey Levan sits down with Prof. Carla C. Baan (Transplantation Journals Executive Editor, Past ESOT President) to discuss highlights from WTC 2025 and what’s ahead for the transplant community. They cover Carla’s path as a basic scientist, mentorship and advice for future investigators, the Transplantation journals’ fellows program, and the upcoming call to recruit Editorial Fellowships.

Episode 15: Meet The Editor - Carla Baan- Transplantation Journal

Moderators
Jennifer Li (Australia) – TTS Education Co-Chair
Shweta Anjan (United States)

Speakers
Rachel Phalen (United States)
Meera Gupta (United States)
Michelle Long Schoettler (United States)

📖 This webinar is based on two recent publications in Transplantation:

Risk Factors for Solid Organ Graft Failure and Death in Solid Organ Transplant Recipients Undergoing Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation: A Retrospective Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research (CIBMTR) and Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) Study
Publish Ahead of Print, June 23, 2025 | DOI: 10.1097/TP.0000000000005377
👉 Read the article - https://www.ovid.com/journals/trans/a...

Risk Factors for Solid Organ Graft Failure and Death in Hematopoietic Cell Transplant Recipients Undergoing Solid Organ Transplantation: A Retrospective Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research and Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network Study
Publish Ahead of Print, June 23, 2025 | DOI: 10.1097/TP.0000000000005397
👉 Read the article - https://www.ovid.com/journals/trans/a...

🎯 Learning Objectives

Understand the risks for solid organ transplant (SOT) failure in patients with prior hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT).
Understand the risks for SOT failure in patients undergoing HSCT.

🔔 Don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe to the TTS channel for more education content.

About the Journal
The official Journal of The Transplantation Society. Transplantation (https://transplantjournal.com) is published monthly and is a highly cited and influential journal in the field, with more than 25,000 citations per year.
-
The Transplantation Society - Learn more about our journla:
https://tts.org/journal/transplantation-journal

Episode 16:  Outcomes in Sequential Solid Organ and Haematopoietic Cell Transplantation

🎙️ TTS Pulse Podcasts – Brought to you by the TTS Education Committee, this podcast series delivers the latest insights, innovations, and inspiration from across the transplant world. Tune in for expert interviews, trending topics, educational highlights, and everything you need to know now in transplantation. From the cutting edge to the everyday, TTS Pulse keeps your finger on the pulse of what's happening.

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