On behalf of the AST, the European Society for Organ Transplantation (ESOT), and The Transplantation Society (TTS), we are excited to invite you to attend the International Transplantation Science Meeting 2025. 

 

ITS 2025 marks the fourth tri-society event in this global collaboration, bringing together top experts, early-career researchers, and transplant professionals worldwide. This meeting offers an exciting forum to explore cutting-edge basic and translational science in and beyond the field of transplantation.

The AST is now accepting applications for its 2026 Career Development Grant cycle! These grants promote the careers of early-career investigators whose research relates to solid organ transplantation (and/or immunology relating to solid organ transplant).

The Living Kidney Donor Medical Provider Toolkit has been fully updated! First published in 2018, the toolkit now includes revisions to all chapters and five new topics: genetic testing, international donor evaluation, GFR considerations, older donors, and tobacco/cannabis use.

The American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) has formally approved a pilot program offering a pathway to ABIM Board Eligibility in Internal Medicine for international medical graduates who complete an ACGME-accredited fellowship either as an ‘exceptionally qualified candidate’ or as a graduate of an internal medicine training program with ACGME-International advanced specialty accreditation.

The AST invites members to participate in an exclusive virtual focus group! This session offers a unique opportunity for our industry partners to gather direct feedback from key stakeholders in transplantation – you.  By fostering open dialogues, this activity generates valuable insight, helps improve services, informs decision-making, and shapes future strategies.   

 

Liver Directed Therapy for MASH F2 and F3 Fibrosis 
Friday, October 17, 2025, at 1PM – 1:45 PM ET 
This activity is designed to provide participants with a comprehensive understanding of the condition and its management. The discussion will explore the epidemiology and common co-morbidities associated with MASH, highlight the health care resource utilization implications, and review current AASLD practice guidance on clinical assessment and management of MASLD/MASH. In addition, participants will gain a clinical overview of Rezdiffra, offering insights into emerging therapeutic approaches for patients with F2 and F3 fibrosis. 

Organ donation saves thousands of lives each year, and the system is designed to be safe and reliable. Help the community get the facts - share this article with your patients or on your social channels.

The AST has submitted responses to six proposals released by the OPTN in its latest public comment cycle. View all of our public comment responses here.

This "Understanding the Impact of the Pre-Transplant Mortality Ratio Metric Implementation" survey focuses on how transplant professionals perceive and respond to the recently implemented pre-transplant mortality ratio metric by UNOS. The goal is to assess how the metric has influenced transplant center practices, particularly in patient listing and organ utilization.

This 10-minute survey is part of an ongoing AST Women’s Health Community of Practice (WHCOP) effort to better understand and improve support for transplant professionals when it comes to family leave and childrearing. The survey is expected to take less than 10 minutes to complete and will help with understanding the current practices and beliefs surrounding pregnancy and parental leave for transplant professionals. Responses will be used in research to identify gaps, inform best practices, and guide future policy and institutional recommendations to better support the transplant workforce.

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: Wiley Online Library
Belatacept may be used to spare or replace calcineurin inhibitors (CNI) to preserve renal function. Use in pancreas transplant (PTx) is limited by increased risk of pancreas rejection. This retrospective analysis included all PTxs performed between 2004 and 2023. A 1:2 case/control analysis was performed to identify predictors of belatacept use and compare allograft and patient survival. Of 731 PTxs, 21 (3%) started belatacept (eight simultaneous pancreas and kidney (SPK), three pancreas after kidney (PAK), and 10 pancreas transplant alone (PTA). At 1 year, Δ estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) was +7% SPK, −15% PAK, and +32% PTA.

Source: Wiley Online Library
Postoperative rehabilitation is essential to post-transplantation recovery and a key component of comprehensive transplant care, with inpatient rehabilitation providing intensive, interdisciplinary support to restore function and enhance quality of life. In 2019, the Brooks Rehabilitation Transplant Program (BRTP) was implemented to address the specialized rehabilitation needs post solid organ transplantation as an interdisciplinary, comprehensive, and tailored model of care.

Source: Wiley Online Library
Hepatic steatosis impacts the quality of grafts, affecting transplant outcomes. Rising obesity rates and subsequent donor graft steatosis further influence the organ shortage crisis in pediatric liver transplantation (LT). Our study aimed to evaluate how donor steatosis modulates the outcomes of pediatric LT.

Source: JMIR Publications
Choosing a transplant program impacts a patient’s likelihood of receiving a kidney transplant. Most patients are unaware of the factors influencing their candidacy. As patients increasingly rely on online resources for healthcare decisions, this study quantifies the available online patient-level information on kidney transplant recipient (KTR) selection criteria across U.S. transplant centers.