The Transplantation Society would like to inform all its members of the establishment of a new transplantation society, the Turkic World Transplantation Society (TDTD). Founded by Professor Mehmet Haberal, TDTD was formally registered on December 15, 2014.

The aim of the TDTD is to create an arena of communication and collaboration in the field of organ transplantation among the Turkic States of the world: Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

To this end, the primary goals of TDTD are:

• To promote and encourage education, research and cooperation in the field of organ transplantation for the purpose of advancing the art and science of transplantation, and to serve the patients of these states through the application of new knowledge and technical advances;
• To create a scientific forum for the discussion of all problems related to the field of transplantation, including medical, social and legal aspects;
• To collaborate with existing public and private organizations to promote and encourage research and clinical applications related to transplantation, and to participate and assist in the promotion of organ procurement and donation;
• To encourage meetings, symposia and congresses to fulfill the above objectives.

By facilitating this new level of cooperation, TDTD will pave the way for citizens of all involved countries to have access to medical care of the highest standard, within a framework of ethical and socially conscious legislation.

Prof. Haberal organized the first Executive Committee Meeting of the TDTD on January 29, 2015 in Ankara and the 1st Congress of the Society in Astana, Kazakhstan during May 20-22, 2015.

Since the new Ethics Committee was convened in late 2014, members of the Committee have formed working groups to explore a number of ethical topics in donation and transplantation. Throughout the year, the Committee will be investigating issues including end-of-life care, publication of research in transplantation, and psychosocial evaluation of living organ donors. Riadh Fadhil and Elizabeth Pomfret are chairing the working group on psychosocial evaluation of living donors, and will soon be inviting members of the Society to participate in a survey on this topic. Trainee nephrologist Lucy Wynter is providing valuable assistance with this research project.

In collaboration with Jacqueline Chin from the National University of Singapore, the Committee is also preparing a joint TTS-AST ethics session at the upcoming Congress of the Asian Society of Transplantation in Singapore (CAST), with the support from TTS and AST. This session will focus on psychosocial evaluation of living donors and the role of ethical guidelines in different regions. An Ethics Committee networking event will also be held during CAST. We expect the members from both societies to attend this important session and to meet with members of Ethics Committee.

The report from The Transplantation Society meeting on paediatric deceased donation, which was held last year in Geneva, will soon be published in Transplantation. Dissemination of the key recommendations from this report has already begun with poster presentations at the recent IPTA meeting and the joint Congress of the British Transplantation Society and Nederlandse Transplantatie Vereniging.

The Ethics Committee welcomes suggestions from TTS members regarding areas of interest or concern in transplantation ethics, and offers opportunities for the submission of conference programs. Please get in touch with the Committee Chairs if you would like to know more about our work.

Beatriz Domínguez-Gil (Chair): This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Dominique Martin (Vice-Chair): This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

TTS is starting a committee to look at the interest of their younger members. We are planning to roll out programmes for residents, fellows and young faculty members specifically tailored to their needs.

We wish to create more awareness among students and residents interested in pursuing a career in transplantation, both as clinicians and as scientists. This should increase international collaboration amongst our younger members, and provide a platform for international job opportunities available in the field.

The Committee is currently setting up schemes to help young members to travel and get exposure to transplant units in countries outside their native country. We also wish to run workshops very specifically aimed at young members to help them with career planning, leadership skills and publication. Important objectives for our group are collaboration, career building and networking amongst young members. We are exploring funding options for our activities and welcome any new ideas.

The Committee is looking for young members who would like to drive some of these projects with us, and we invite anyone interested to contact us. In particular, we need members from Asia, South-America and Australia in our Committee. If you or any of your colleagues are interested in getting involved, we would welcome an email from you! Please contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

forward thinking

a new name, a newly developed Young Investigator Committee, social media use, and Melbourne 2015

In November 2014, the Cell Transplant Society (CTS) Council held a strategic retreat working towards identifying and drafting long-term goals for the Society. The overriding goal moving forward will be to maintain CTS’ role as a leader in basic research and clinical translation of cellular transplantation. In order to better represent the future directions of cell transplantation, the Council voted in favor of changing the Society name to the “Cell Transplant and Regenerative Medicine Society”. CTS will begin to incorporate this change after the Melbourne 2015 Joint Meeting. The Council also decided to create two new membership categories, Trainee and Allied Health Professional/Technical, to broaden the reach of the Society and demonstrate the diversity of skills and backgrounds of its members. It is our hope that these changes, along with other strategic plans, will help CTS membership continue to grow as it has over the past five years.

As previously announced, CTS has developed a Young Investigator Committee under the leadership of Robert Fisher. This Committee has developed a session and social event for the 2015 Joint Meeting in Melbourne, and is developing criteria for future Young Investigator awards while working to assist in future fund development for the Society. We hope that this Committee will better supported and encourage participation from young investigators who represent the future of our Society.

CTS would also like to encourage members to find the Cell Transplant Society on both Facebook and LinkedIn. We hope that use of these platforms will increase interaction among members and spread knowledge and information about CTS and express our passion for cellular transplantation. We welcome contributions from all CTS members, which can include short stories about the type of cells you are working on, programs within your institutions or information about your research. If possible, please include a photo or image. Job listings can also be included on the CTS LinkedIn page. We anticipate this increased visibility will also lead to an increased interest in CTS and translate into more of our peers becoming members. Please contact Ewa Ellis for more information about contributing to CTS social media.

Finally, we encourage our members to consider attending our joint meeting with IPITA and IXA in Melbourne from November 15-19, 2015. The meeting will bring together leaders in the fields of cell, islet, pancreas and xenotransplantation for an outstanding scientific program in the beautiful city of Melbourne. Abstract submission information, registration information and information about travel awards for the meeting can be found at www.melbourne2015.org

confirmation

an active, diverse and successful 2015 Congress speaks highly of the future

When Palmina Petruzzo assumed the Presidency of the International Hand and Composite Tissue Allotransplantation Society in 2013, she was concerned about the future of this young and small TTS Section. The 12th Congress of IHCTAS, which was held in Philadelphia from April 15-17, 2015, confirmed that we are a small community but very active. The meeting included participants from teams not only involved in different types of VCAs, but also members of multidisciplinary teams specializing in different fields of medicine.

The Congress had many highlights, including a presentation by the South African team who performed the first trial of uterus transplantations with living birth, as well as the first successful penis transplantation case. There was a session solely dedicated to the most important experimental studies in VCA around the world, highlighting the importance of the research in this new field of transplantation. Challenges in VCA program realization and VCA procurement in different countries were discussed, as well as immunosuppression management, cell therapies, and chronic rejection in upper and face allotransplantation. For the first time VCA guidelines in different countries were presented, showing that VCAs are becoming a clinical reality. A session was dedicated to the psychosocial and ethical issues in VCA with the participation of psychiatrists, psychologists and ethicists from different teams. These two exciting days were spent in the prestigious Penn University, carefully supervised by the Congress Chair, Scott Levin, to whom the Council owes a great deal of thanks for his dedication to making this Congress a success.

As her last message as President, Palmina Petruzzo would like to thank the Council very much for the help provided during her tenure, and to congratulate Emmanuel Morelon who has been voted in as President-Elect of IHCTAS and who will join our new President, Linda Cendales, as well as the new Councilors.

Finally, we would like to invite those interested and involved in VCA who are not yet members of IHCTAS to consider becoming members to contribute to the development of this new field of transplantation.

on-going advancement

 a comprehensive and strategic path to improving the outcomes of pancreas and islet transplantation

From November 15-19, the 2015 IPITA-IXA-CTS Joint Congress, held in the gastronomical and sporting city of Melbourne, Australia, will showcase the best and latest research in the fields of islet, pancreas, xeno- and cellular transplantation. In addition to a diverse, high-profile program of invited speakers, three pre-meeting symposia are being planned and will be included in the registration fee for all participants. Conference attendees will have a choice of attending the following symposia: “Islet Isolation and Transplantation: Where Are We Now And Where Are We Going?”; “Global Trends in Pancreas Transplant Activity – Challenges and Opportunities”; and “The Allied Health Professionals Symposium.”

While planning is underway for this landmark meeting, important scientific activities within IPITA have been on-going over the past year. Last May in Oxford, UK, an Opinion Leaders Workshop was conducted to highlight the state of current and future beta cell replacement therapies and to chart a strategic course for future research in these fields. As a result of this workshop, a “white paper” has been drafted and submitted to Transplantation for publication. The IPITA leadership hopes this document will help lay out the path for scientific inquiries into improving the outcomes of pancreas and islet transplantation, as well as advancing preclinical development of future beta cell replacement therapies. In addition, IPITA leaders and endocrinology experts recently came together to write a review entitled “Evidence-Informed Clinical Practice Recommendations for Treatment of Type 1 Diabetes Complicated by Problematic Hypoglycemia”, which proposes a comprehensive tiered treatment algorithm including educational, technological, and transplant interventions. This article is published in the June 2015 issue of Diabetes Care.

In other new IPITA developments, a Young Investigators Committee has been formed comprising scientists and physicians from numerous countries under the leadership of Dr. Peter Stock. The YI Committee has already been very active in planning targeted scientific sessions for the Melbourne Congress and future meetings.

An IPITA webinar series, launched this year, is off to an excellent start. Past webinars are archived and accessible for viewing by members at any time. Lastly, planning is underway for IPITA endorsed components of the 2016 TTS meeting in Hong Kong and for another Opinion Leaders meeting in 2016.

strength and synergy

 a well-attended 2015 Congress and union with TTS brings renewed confidence and commitment

The Executive Committee and Council of the International Pediatric Transplant Association (IPTA) are pleased to provide an update on our Association's activities.

The 8th International Congress on Pediatric Transplantation, a four-day conference organized by IPTA, took place in San Francisco, USA, from March 28-31, 2015. This Congress is held every two years, traditionally in the off-years of the TTS Congress, and is one of the most important activities of the Association. The Congress’ objective is to bring transplant professionals together in order to learn about the latest scientific developments in pediatric transplantation. This year’s Congress included plenary sessions, state-of-the-art presentations, special lectures, interactive workshops, and two post-graduate courses: one for transplant physicians and one for allied health members. The inclusion of this second course reflects the contribution and representation of allied health workers, who currently represent 16% of our membership and have always been an important part of our society. The meeting was well attended by approximately 500 participants onsite. The presentations were recorded and will be available for free to all IPTA and TTS members in the Members Only area of the IPTA website. Information on the program topics can be found on the Congress website www.2015.iptaonline.org and in a supplemental edition of our journal Pediatric Transplantation (Volume 19, Supplement 1, May 2015), where the 291 presented abstracts are also published.

On June 1, 2015 IPTA joined TTS as a new official Section, and with its approximately 600 members from more than 50 countries, becomes the largest section of TTS. We are confident that all our members will be able to take advantage of the synergies resulting from this increased cooperation and the strengthening of our transplantation network. IPTA will also contribute to the educational content of the upcoming TTS Congress in Hong Kong, August 18-23, 2016.

In the meantime, preparations are well under way for the upcoming 9th Congress of the IPTA, which will be held in Barcelona, Spain, from May 27-30, 2017. The International Scientific Advisory Committee consisting of both IPTA and TTS members has been set up and looks forward to your suggestions and participation.

The biannual congress is just one examples of the international work done by the Association. Founded in 1998, IPTA is the only society worldwide devoted to the special needs of pediatric transplant patients and their families. IPTA has been involved in outreach and in fellow education, has its own journal and has sponsored the publication of two textbooks on pediatric solid organ transplantation. Affiliation with TTS is a natural fit for IPTA, as both organizations take an international approach to transplantation and are mutually committed to education and strengthening collaboration in the field.

strategic focus

professional practice, enabling sharing and international networking

The International Society for Donation and Procurement (ISODP) has already made significant progress this year in all three areas of its strategic focus. These include the improvement of professional practices for donation, enabling information sharing in the field, and the strengthening of international networks.

Towards the goal of increasing organ donation worldwide, ISODP together with TTS has launched the Astellas Scholarship program, a professional education and mentoring program. This program is focused on the development of evidence-based standardized practices and individual training to support the growth of donation specialist teams, which are recognized as essential for ongoing donation improvement. The inaugural workshop took place in January of this year in Saudi Arabia with 75 leaders from critical care units and donation programs from all seven Gulf Cooperation Countries. The three-day program provided by world leaders was a great success and highly rated by participants. Senior leaders will benefit from an additional year of ongoing mentoring for the instillation of improvement practices. Dr. Faissal Shaheen and his team are working closely with critical care leaders, and he is pleased to see the improvements in critical pathways already advancing donation in the region.

The 13th Congress of ISODP is set to take place from October 17-20, 2015 in Seoul, South Korea. The scientific program is exceptional with a number of focused sessions planned to attract the national community. Dr. Jongwon Ha is the Congress Chairman and is encouraging everyone to attend this not-to-miss meeting. See the full program on our website here.

The ISODP Webinar series continues to be one of the best attended of all TTS webinars with as many members of the Society attending the sessions as those following up after the events to review the archived talks. If you have missed any, we encourage you to take the time to catch up on the whole 2014 series by visiting TTS’ multimedia library here. The 2015 Webinar series opened with Dr. Marti Manyalich highlighting the impact of education in developing countries, followed by a number of distinguished presentations including one given by Laura Siminoff, an expert in communication strategies - one of our most attended sessions ever.

The development of a repository of key national and international donation resources continues to grow. The launch of the advanced website will include links to a number of resources which are sure to assist programs and individuals by enriching knowledge and in turn advancing practices. If you would like to get involved please contact Susan Gunderson (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) as she is leading this activity for ISODP.

We continue to focus on the retention and recruitment of members for the Society. Please encourage donation leaders from all programs to get involved.

promoting progress and concepts

Melbourne 2015: an excellent forum for both clinical investigators and basic scientists

The 2014 Xeno-Prize was judged recently and we are pleased to announce that the winner is Dr. Guerard Byrne for his paper entitled: “Cloning and Expression of Porcine β1,4 N-acetylgalactosaminyl Transferase Encoding a New Xenoreactive Antigen”. Congratulations to Dr. Byrne and his co-authors for their outstanding work.

It is our great pleasure to invite you to the next Congress of the International Xenotransplantation Association (IXA), which will be held jointly with the International Pancreas and Islet Transplant Association (IPITA) and the Cell Transplant Society (CTS) in Melbourne, Australia, November 15-19, 2015. The Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC) provides an amazing location for this event. Set on the banks of the iconic Yarra River, MCEC is just a 20-minute drive from Melbourne airport and a short stroll to the city center.

Designed with the help of more than 25 experts from 9 countries, the program of our joint meeting has been developed to promote a truly interdisciplinary exchange of scientific progress and concepts among investigators active in three different, but increasingly related and overlapping, fields. The program will thus provide an excellent forum for both clinical investigators and basic scientists with expertise in cell and islet transplantation and xenotransplantation to meet and discuss innovative strategies for overcoming immunologic, technologic, regulatory and other obstacles.

Our joint plenary session will include:

• Updates on Clinical Trials: Cellular Immunotherapy, Encapsulated Pig Islet Xenotransplantation, and Stem Cell-Based Regenerative Medicine;
• New Horizons: Genome Editing, Tissue Regeneration, and Biomaterial Engineering;
• Controlling Inflammation and Coagulation in Transplantation.

The plenary topics have been carefully chosen to include speakers world-renowned in fields that overlap with our own (e.g. tissue regeneration – Nadia Rosenthal; biomaterial engineering – Gordon Wallace), thus exposing delegates to new ideas and technologies. In addition, there will be plenary talks on topics of particular interest to IXA members, including encapsulated porcine islet xenotransplantation (Shinichi Matsumoto), anticoagulant/anti-inflammatory mechanisms (Chuck Esmon), and new anti-complement agents (John Lambris).

To register for the meeting, please visit www.melbourne2015.org and use the online system before August 30 to qualify for the early bird registration rate. We look forward to warmly welcoming you to Melbourne and wish you a fruitful scientific Congress and a pleasant stay.

active planning

vibrant and cutting edge - membership projects and the 2015 and 2017 Symposiums

The Intestinal Transplant Association and the local organizing committee under the leadership of Dr. Gabriel Gondolesi have been actively planning its biennial scientific meeting and the 14th International Small Bowel Transplant Symposium was held in Buenos Aires, Argentina from June 10-13, 2015. And, while the name focuses on transplantation, the meeting went well beyond this field, emphasizing intestinal failure, TPN management, intestinal rehabilitation and transplantation. The meeting was preceded by the ever-popular pre-symposium held on June 10, 2015 followed by the three-day scientific symposium. Organized by global leaders in the field in conjunction with Argentinean experts, the Symposium met its promise to be as vibrant and cutting edge as the host city itself.

There were more than 300 pre-registrants with 249 abstracts submitted. Highlights included:

• Debates on controversial topics within the fields of intestinal failure, rehabilitation, and transplantation
• Living Legend Awards presented to Thomas Starzl, Stanley Dudrick, and Massayuki Okumura
• Workshops addressing many of the clinical and pathological issues facing the field
• Breakfast with the Experts to discuss a variety of clinical topics.
• A session dedicated to discuss the need for and stimulate the development of multicenter studies
• Multiple plenary and parallel sessions highlighting the best science in the fields
• The results of the 2015 Intestinal Transplant Registry
• A superb gala dinner showcasing the classical Tango of Buenos Aires

In addition to the Symposium, ITA has been working on other projects to benefit its membership. These include member surveys and membership drives, multicenter scientific studies, and the association’s first newsletters.

The leadership has also been working on a new home for the Intestinal Transplant Registry. More news on this should be forthcoming in the coming weeks.

Elections for new Councilors and Officers have taken place with the results to be announced in Buenos Aires and in the next issue of the Tribune.

Lastly, New York City has been selected as the host city for the 15th ISBTS which is scheduled for 2017. More information can be obtained on the ITA website.

destination Cancun

“Cutting Edge Topics in Transplant Infectious Disease for the Transplant Clinician”

The Transplant Infectious Disease Section would like to invite you to join us in beautiful Cancun, Mexico, for the 9th International Transplant Infectious Disease Conference, to be held just prior to the start of the XXIII Congreso Latinoamericano y del Caribe de Trasplante.

The conference is designed for transplant clinicians with an interest in the infectious complications of transplantation. The meeting aims to promote research and education in the prevention, diagnosis, and management of transplant-related infectious diseases, highlighting new information useful in clinical care.

Participant discussion will be encouraged following the presentations. This meeting will provide outstanding networking opportunities with an international group of attendees and speakers. This will be a great chance to interact with other transplant professionals and learn important new information. We look forward to seeing you in Cancun!

TID would also like to remind all of its members about TID Chat, a listserv open to TID and TTS members worldwide who are seeking help with clinical conundrums, undertaking formal and informal surveys, advertising jobs, notifying members about relevant upcoming conferences, developing working groups and more. To join, visit www.tts.org/tid and subscribe by clicking on the banner on the left side of the homepage.

Lastly, the TID Council is pleased to announce the results of our 2015 election. The Council of TID for 2015 – 2017 will be:

Michele Morris (President)
Clarisse Machado (President-Elect) Deborah Marriott (Past-President)
Ligia Pierotti (Secretary-Treasurer)

Councilors:

Sharon Chen
Hans H. Hirsch,
Michael G. Ison
Nassim Kamar
Ban Hock Tan

Congratulations to the new Councilors joining us; we look forward to a productive year!