The AST is offering an exclusive membership discount to transplant trainees until March 31, 2025. We're on a mission to help trainees boost their careers using the AST's benefits.

Through March 31, trainees can join the AST for just $60. To join with this promotion, you must qualify as a transplant trainee and be approved for membership. To receive the discount, use code TRAINEE2025.

Immerse yourself in the latest research and breakthroughs in the field of transplantation at WTC 2025, hosted in the dynamic city of San Francisco. This global congress draws experts, healthcare practitioners, and researchers and provides them with an opportunity to explore in-depth the sector’s newest developments.

The WTC Student Ambassador Program aims to promote transplantation as an exciting and rewarding field of specialization for 3rd and 4th-year medical students. By engaging future medical professionals, this program will foster awareness and enthusiasm for organ donation and transplantation while enhancing participation at the WTC 2025 Congress. The deadline to apply is April 30, 2025.
 

HRSA announced an OPTN Board of Directors special election will be held later this year. Applications to be considered for inclusion on the ballot for the upcoming OPTN Board of Directors special election will be accepted through 5 p.m. ET on April 4, 2025. Slides from HRSA’s February 28 OPTN Board Special Election Update webinar can be found here and additional information, including the application form, can be found on the HRSA and OPTN websites. The AST strongly encourages all interested members to review the background information about the special election, who is eligible, and the expected next steps, and submit an application before the April 4 due date.

After receiving input from the AST’s Communities of Practice, Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access to Life (IDEAL) Committee, OPTN Policy Committee, and Board of Directors, the AST submitted feedback on the nine items the OPTN released for public comment on January 21, 2025. You can find the AST’s comments here.

The Transplant Therapeutics Consortium (TTC) has submitted the Full Qualification Package for the iBox Scoring System to the FDA, the final step in the FDA Biomarker Qualification Process. This takes us one step closer to having new therapies that better the lives of transplant recipients. The iBox scoring system is the first transplant endpoint to reach this stage of qualification.

The AST continues to strategically engage the new Congress, White House, and stakeholder community regarding the Society’s priorities. As we enter the second quarter of 2025, we have all witnessed significant policy and personnel changes within the new White House Administration and 119th U.S. Congress. These advocacy efforts continue to focus on OPTN Modernization for the future of our patients and the field of transplantation.  

Funding cuts to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) put critical transplant research at risk. NIH-funded studies have driven advancements in transplantation, improving patient outcomes and paving the way for innovations like new immunosuppressants, immune tolerance strategies, and even organ regeneration. Without this support, progress in the field could slow, affecting countless patients and families.

We need your help to ensure that transplant research remains a priority. Use our advocacy page to contact your members of Congress and urge them to protect NIH funding. Together, we can make a difference. Take action today!

April is Donate Life Month, and we’re inviting YOU to join the AST transplant community in a meaningful way! We’d love to hear your story and see the memento that makes your transplant journey special. Whether it’s a photo or a short video, sharing what matters to you will help build a stronger connection within our community.

The Trainee and Young Faculty Community of Practice (TYF COP) and the Women’s Health Community of Practice (WHCOP), with the support of the AST, are excited to offer the WTC 2025 Travel Grant—an opportunity to support the next generation of transplant professionals. This grant provides up to $1,000 in reimbursable expenses for medical students and residents to attend the World Transplant Congress (WTC) 2025 in San Francisco (August 2–6, 2025). 

We are also looking for application reviewers and mentors to help guide and support future leaders in transplantation. If you know colleagues who would be a great fit, please share this opportunity with them! 

The AST is pleased to announce its call for nominations for the 2025 Achievement Awards.

Each year, the AST honors its members’ accomplishments and contributions to the field of transplantation through the Achievement Awards. Members are recognized at different levels of their careers with Basic Science Awards, Clinical Science Awards, and Distinguished Career Awards. Nominate a colleague today!

The AST developed a survey aimed at soliciting your perspectives on legislative and regulatory issues that significantly influence both patient care and professional practice. Our goal is to establish a platform for our membership to share their invaluable ideas and perspectives and actively engage with the Public Policy Committee and AST leadership. We look forward to your input as we navigate the dynamics of our ever-evolving landscape of transplant care and practice.

Source: JAMA Network
Kidney transplantation offers survival benefits and superior quality of life compared with maintenance dialysis for patients with end-stage kidney disease (ESKD), but it is limited to approximately 25 000 patients annually in the United States. Expanding access to transplant could be accomplished by allowing more patients to join the waiting list or by increasing organ supply.

Source: Transplant Infectious Disease
Out of 2586 KTR, 22 had severe persistent BKPyV and were compared to 1843 KTR with low/no BKPyV and 721 KTR with high BKPyV. A low absolute lymphocyte count during the first month posttransplant was associated with an increased risk of severe persistent BKPyV relative to those with low/no BKPyV and high BKPyV (OR 0.91, 95%CI 0.84, 0.99).

Source: American Journal of Transplantation
Kidneys donated after circulatory death (DCD) perform similarly to kidneys donated after brain death (DBD). However, the respective incidences of delayed graft function (DGF) differ. This questions the donor type-specific impact of early graft function on long-term outcomes. Using competing risk and Cox-regression analysis, we compared death-censored graft loss between types of early graft function: DGF (temporary dialysis dependency started within 7 days after transplantation), slow graft function (3-day plasma creatinine decline less than 10% per day), and immediate graft function.