TTS Pulse Podcast

Gerald Brandacher discusses the recent review

“Clinical Manifestation, Mechanisms, and Potential Targets of Intervention for Chronic Rejection in Vascularized Composite Allotransplantation.”

As vascularized composite allotransplantation (VCA) has matured, chronic rejection has become a key determinant of long-term graft outcomes. Unlike solid organ transplantation, VCAs involve multiple tissue types—including skin, vessels, and adnexal structures—each with distinct clinical and pathological patterns of chronic rejection.

In this Behind the Paper interview, Dr. Brandacher reflects on the current state of the VCA field and examines how environmental, physical, and thermal trauma can trigger or worsen both acute and chronic rejection. The discussion spans clinical presentation in human and animal models, evolving pathological classifications, and the mechanisms underlying chronic rejection and transplant vasculopathy.

The conversation also explores emerging approaches to monitoring and intervention, including complement-targeted therapies and checkpoint inhibitors, as well as insights drawn from related disease states such as pulmonary arterial hypertension. Together, these perspectives point toward future directions for improving diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of chronic rejection in VCA.

Read the publication:

https://journals.lww.com/transplantjournal/abstract/2025/11000/clinical_manifestation,_mechanisms,_and_potential.12.aspx

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About the Journal

Transplantation is the official journal of The Transplantation Society. Published monthly, it is one of the most highly cited journals in the field, with more than 25,000 citations per year.

https://transplantjournal.com

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The Transplantation Society

Learn more about the journal and society initiatives:

https://tts.org/journal/transplantation

Behind the Paper with Robson Gilmour and Mekhola Hoff

Robson Gilmour and Mekhola Hoff discuss the recent publication in Transplantation journal "Beyond Feasibility: Critical Steps Toward Drone-based Organ Transport"

Drones, or uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs), are becoming increasingly visible in healthcare logistics. In several countries, they already deliver blood, vaccines, and laboratory samples to remote areas, helping overcome geographic and infrastructure challenges. Trials in high-income countries also show that UAVs can deliver medicines faster and with lower emissions than conventional transport methods. Globally, transplant systems face common logistical challenges, particularly around time-critical organ delivery.

Continue to view the full paper:

https://journals.lww.com/transplantjournal/fulltext/2026/01000/beyond_feasibility__critical_steps_toward.2.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.

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The Transplantation Society - Learn more about our journal:

https://tts.org/journal/transplantation-journal

Explore effective social media strategies to enhance transplant communication, education, and engagement with patients, professionals, and the public.

- How Social Media Has Been Used in Transplantation - Macey Levan

- Leveraging Social Media to Increase Organ Donation - Frank Dor

- The Professional Edge: Do’s and Don’ts as a Transplanter on Social Media - Augusto dos Santos, Jr

Objectives

Understand the evolution and impact of social media in transplantation.

Learn strategies to design and measure effective organ donation campaigns.

Identify best practices for professional and ethical social media use.

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

About the Journals

The official Journal of The Transplantation Society. Transplantation (https://transplantjournal.com) and is published monthly and is a highly cited and influential journal in the field, with more than 25,000 citations per year.

Transplantation Direct (https://tts.org/journal/transplantation-direct) is an open access portal for international transplantation with rapid electronic publication of peer-reviewed, high-quality basic research and clinical studies related to the field of transplantation.

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The Transplantation Society (https://tts.org) provides focus for global leadership in transplantation through the advancement and development of both the science and clinical practice of transplantation throughout the world abd scientific communication, continuing education of its membership and guidance on the ethical practice of transplantation.

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.

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The Transplantation Society - Learn more about our journla:

https://tts.org/journal/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.

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

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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.

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The Transplantation Society - Learn more about our journla:

https://tts.org/journal/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.

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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.

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The Transplantation Society - Learn more about our journla:

https://tts.org/journal/transplantation-journal

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

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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

Macey Levan sits down with Richard Formica and Rexanah Wyse Morrissette to discuss the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) .

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More about Richard Formica

https://medicine.yale.edu/profile/richard-formica/

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About Rexanah Wyse Morrissette

https://spp.umd.edu/our-community/faculty-staff/rexanah-wyse-morrissette

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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

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

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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