AJT Highlights

AJT October 2025 Editors’ Picks Description:  Hosts Roz and Dr. Sanchez-Fueyo are joined by Dr. Christina Haugen to discuss the key articles of the October issue of the American Journal of Transplantation. Dr. Christina Haugen is an Assistant Professor of Surgery at the University of Cincinnati. [03:28] Renal resistance trajectories during hypothermic machine perfusion in kidneys donated after circulatory death: Associations with donor characteristics and posttransplant outcomes—An analysis of COMPARE trial data [10:26] Donor-specific mesenchymal stem cell infusion in human and nonhuman primate kidney transplantation [19:21] Potential targeting of urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor–formyl peptide receptor signaling to prevent recurrence in posttransplant primary podocytopathies [30:20] The relationship between cessation of brain and systemic circulation after withdrawal of life-sustaining measures [36:03] Pretransplant natural antibody levels identify a subset of deceased donor kidney transplant recipients that benefit from infliximab induction

Hosts Roz and Dr. Sanchez-Fueyo discuss the key articles of the September issue of the American Journal of Transplantation. [03:30] Blunted cardiac reserve as a marker of cirrhotic cardiomyopathy—Cardiac outcomes following liver transplantation and comparison to the existing guidelines [14:18] Back-table intra-arterial administration of C1 esterase inhibitor to deceased donor kidney allografts improves posttransplant allograft function: Results of a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial [25:55] Donor-derived cell-free DNA is associated with the degree of immunosuppression in lung transplantation [36:24] A two-threshold algorithm using donor-derived cell-free DNA fraction and quantity to detect acute rejection after heart transplantation [45:00] Cell therapy with human Interleukin 10–producing ILC2s enhances islet function and inhibits allograft rejection

In this Specialty Podcast, Dr. Dami Ko is joined by Dr. Katherine Rizzolo, and Dr. Leonela Villegas to discuss kidney transplantation for undocumented immigrants in the United States, particularly the challenges they face and ethical considerations. Dr. Dami Ko is an assistant professor at Northeastern University, specializing in post-transplant care and quality of life. Dr. Katherine Rizzolo is a nephrologist in Boston, MA. Dr. Leonela Villegas is a Pediatric Nephrologist at Hartford, CT References: Long-term impact of immigration status on outcomes in pediatric kidney transplant recipients.  Successful pathways to liver transplant for undocumented immigrants.  Undocumented immigrants: A glaring inequity in transplant.

Hosts Roz and Alberto are joined by new Editorial Fellow Dr. Sofia Bin to discuss the key articles of the August issue of the American Journal of Transplantation. Dr. Sofia Bin is an assistant professor of medical and surgical sciences at the University of Bologna.   [02:46] Gut microbiome alterations precede graft rejection in kidney transplantation patients [10:31] Molecular diagnosis of kidney allograft rejection based on the Banff Human Organ Transplant gene panel: a multicenter international study Editorial: Graft biopsy reimagined: Integrating morphology and molecular maps [22:20] Does a changing donor pool explain the recent rise in the United States kidney nonuse rate? [32:45] A scintigraphic look at the dead donor rule in donation after the circulatory determination of death with the use of normothermic regional perfusion: A single-center interventional trial Editorial: Normothermic regional perfusion in donation after circulatory determination of death—Confirming the absence of brain reperfusion [37:03] Global variation in living donor liver transplantation practices impacts donor and recipient short-term outcomes: initial insights from the International LDLT Registry

Hosts Roz and Alberto discuss the key articles of the July issue of the American Journal of Transplantation. [03:48] Liver transplantation for hepatitis D virus/hepatitis B virus coinfection in Italy: an intention-to-treat analysis of long-term outcomes [13:42] 10 degree C static storage of porcine donation after circulatory death livers improves biliary viability and mitigates ischemia-reperfusion injury [22:20] Fewer medullary pyramids in the living kidney donor are associated with graft failure in the recipient [33:35] Microvascular inflammation in kidney allografts: New directions for patient management MOMOT (Mouse Models in Transplant) articles: Can mouse kidney transplant models inform mechanisms of injury and acceptance in clinical kidney transplantation? Best practices in islet transplantation in mice

Host Roz is joined by new co-host Alberto Sanchez-Fueyo, MD, PhD to discuss the key articles of the June issue of the American Journal of Transplantation. Dr. Sanchez-Fueyo is a Professor of Hepatology, and the Academic Director of the Institute of Liver Studies, King's College, London. [02:51] Recipient toll-like receptor 4 determines the outcome of ischemia-reperfusion injury in steatotic liver transplantation in mice [10:47] Association between everolimus combination therapy and cancer risk after liver transplantation: A nationwide population-based quasi-cohort study [21:35] Balancing equity and human leukocyte antigen matching in deceased-donor kidney allocation with eplet mismatch Editorial: Equitable allocation through human leukocyte antigen eplet matching: A promising strategy with several challenges [32:51] Impact of the lung allocation system score modification by blood type on US lung transplant candidates Editorial: From flawed to fairer: Reducing blood type bias in lung transplant allocation Recommended article: The economic value of a transplant nephrologist: The case for improving compensation models

In this specialty podcast, Dr. Alissar El Chediak is joined by Dr. Jon Odorico and Dr. Ron Parsons to discuss the current state of pancreas transplantation, identify barriers and strategies for referral and candidate selection, and discuss solutions to address the decline in procedures. Alissar El Chediak, MD is a transplant nephrologist at UT Southwestern Medical Center. Jon Odorico, MD is a transplant surgeon at the University of Wisconsin. Ron Parsons, MD is a transplant surgeon at the University of Pennsylvania.   References: Generating strategies for a national comeback in pancreas transplantation: A Delphi survey and US conference report

In this Specialty Podcast, Dr. Alejandra Mendoza is joined by Dr. Cameron Wolfe, infectious diseases specialist at Duke University, to discuss the growing concern of avian influenza (H5N1) in transplant recipients. Together, they explore the latest epidemiologic developments, potential risks to immunocompromised patients, and key considerations for clinicians managing solid organ and stem cell transplant recipients in the face of this evolving threat. Dr. Alejandra Mendoza is a transplant infectious diseases physician at the University of Utah. Dr. Cameron Wolfe is a professor of medicine in the division of infectious diseases at Duke University. References: Clinician Update on Human Cases of H5N1 and Influenza A Virus Surveillance (COCA Calls)

Host Roz is joined by Timucin Taner, MD, PhD and Dami Ko, PhD to discuss the key articles of the May issue of the American Journal of Transplantation. Dr. Timucin Taner is a professor of surgery at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN. Dr. Dami Ko is an assistant professor at the School of Nursing at Northeastern University. [02:51] Development and validation of the Neuro-Score: a specific scale to detect and monitor cognitive impairment in kidney or liver transplant recipients Editorial: Cognitive impairment after liver and kidney transplant: An easy way to check [14:16] Randomized trial investigating the utility of a liver tissue transcriptional biomarker in identifying adult liver transplant recipients not requiring maintenance immunosuppression [20:46] Donor-specific immune senescence as a candidate biomarker of operational tolerance following liver transplantation in adults: Results of a prospective, multicenter cohort study Editorial: Acquired immune tolerance 2.0 [29:10] Major histocompatibility complex and peptide specificity underpin CD8+ T cell direct alloresponse Editorial: Direct and indirect allorecognition—not so different after all?

Host Roz is joined by Rene Bermea, MD and Gonzalo Sapisochin, MD, PhD to discuss the key articles of the April issue of the American Journal of Transplantation. Dr. Rene Bermea is an instructor at Harvard Medical School, and a transplant pulmonologist and intensivist. Dr. Gonzalo Sapisochin is an associate professor of surgery, abdominal transplant and surgical oncology at the University of Toronto, Canada. [04:31] Generalizability of kidney transplant data in electronic health records — The Epic Cosmos database vs the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients Editorial: Finding actionable information in the universe of data [14:17] High-dimensional profiling of immune responses to kidney transplant reveals heterogeneous T helper 1 and B cell effectors associated with rejection Editorial: Multimodal profiling of transplant rejection: Discerning the forest from the trees [23:02] The ability of an electronic nose to distinguish between complications in lung transplant recipients [34:58] The Rochester Protocol for living donor liver transplantation of unresectable colorectal liver metastasis: A 5-year report on selection, approval, and outcomes

Host Roz is joined by Ross Doyle, PhD to discuss the key articles of the March issue of American Journal of Transplantation. Dr. Ross Doyle is a consultant nephrologist at Mater Hospital in Dublin, Ireland. (Mentioned) A blood-based PT-LIFE (Pediatric Liver Transplantation-LIver Fibrosis Evaluation) biomarker panel for noninvasive evaluation of pediatric liver fibrosis after liver transplantation: A prospective derivation and validation study Editorial: Are we closer to abandoning protocol graft biopsies after pediatric liver transplantation? (Mentioned) Deceased donor urinary Dickkopf-3 associates with future allograft function following kidney transplantation [04:08] Cure models, survival probabilities, and solid organ transplantation for patients with colorectal cancer Editorial: When is it safe to transplant after cancer–adding data to the decision [11:05] Navigating challenges in recipient selection for end-chain kidneys [18:00] Severe ischemia-reperfusion injury induces epigenetic inactivation of LHX1 in kidney progenitor cells after kidney transplantation [28:31] The differential impact of early graft dysfunction in kidney donation after brain death and after circulatory death: Insights from the Dutch National Transplant Registry

Hosts Roz and Josh are joined by Dr. Adam Stewart to discuss the key articles of the February issue of the American Journal of Transplantation.   [00:02:38] A competing risks model to estimate the risk of graft failure and patient death after kidney transplantation using continuous donor-recipient age combinations [00:09:00] Donor-derived bartonellosis in solid organ transplant recipients from unhoused donors in Alberta [00:16:54] Contemporary prevalence and practice patterns of out-of-sequence kidney allocation Editorial: Out-of-sequence allocation: a necessary innovation or a new inequity in transplantation? Editorial: Ethical implications of prioritizing utility at all costs: The rise of out-of-sequence transplants [00:28:18] Association of nonstandardized model for end-stage liver disease score exceptions with waitlist mortality in adult liver transplant candidates

Hosts Roz and Josh are joined by Sergio Acuna, MD to discuss the key articles of the January issue of American Journal of Transplantation. Dr. Sergio Acuna is a clinical instructor in abdominal transplant surgery at the University of Alabama at Birmingham   [03:21] The dangerous precedent of censoring scientific dissemination [08:45] Long-term ex situ normothermic machine perfusion allows regeneration of human livers with severe bile duct injury Editorial: Time will tell: Employing long-term normothermic machine perfusion to gain new insight into bile duct regeneration [14:00] Probable antibody-mediated rejection in kidney transplantation is a rare and challenging phenotype to define: Findings from a single-center study [19:54] The relationship of microvascular inflammation with antibody-mediated rejection in kidney transplantation Editorial: Exploring microvascular inflammation and the spectrum of antibody-mediated rejection [25:56] Long-term persistence of seroprotection against measles following measles-mumps-rubella vaccination administered before and after pediatric liver transplantation [31:26] Detection of viral RNA and DNA and immune response following administration of live attenuated measles and varicella vaccines in children with chronic liver disease

Hosts Roz and Josh are joined by Abraham Matar, MD to discuss the key articles of the December issue of American Journal of Transplantation. Dr. Abraham ‘Abe’ Matar is a Transplant Surgery Fellow at the University of Minnesota   [02:15] Economic Evaluation of Weight Loss and Transplantation Strategies for Kidney Transplant Candidates with Obesity Editorial: Selecting Weight Loss Strategies for Kidney Transplant Candidacy: Weighty decisions [11:44] Electrostimulation suppresses allograft rejection via promoting lymphatic regulatory T cell migration mediated by lymphotoxin (LT)-LTb receptor signaling [18:57] Ischemia Reperfusion Responses in Human Lung Transplants at the Single Cell Resolution [28:36] The suggestion of mitigating disparity in the liver transplantation field among ABO blood type    

Description:  Hosts Roz and Josh are joined by Sharon Weeks Groh, MD to discuss the key articles of the November issue of American Journal of Transplantation. Dr. Sharon Weeks Groh is a transplant surgeon at Walter Reed   [02:08] Robotic living donor hepatectomy is associated with superior outcomes for both the donor and the recipient compared to laparoscopic or open - A single center prospective registry study of 3,448 cases [09:34] Public Attitudes to Xenotransplantation: A National Survey in the United States [18:09] Non-clinical and clinical characterization of MAU868, a novel human-derived monoclonal neutralizing antibody targeting BK polyomavirus VP1 [25:52] Establishing targets for goal-directed anesthesia in renal transplantation: a cohort analysis of high-saliency surgical time-courses. Editorial: Intraoperative blood pressure management during kidney transplantation: grafts under pressure. [36:53] Why partial heart transplantation could be regulated as organ transplantation

Hosts Roz and Josh are joined by Frances Lee, MD to discuss the key articles of the October issue of American Journal of Transplantation.   [00:02:31] Pre-transplant Use of Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors for Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Multicenter, Retrospective Cohort Study Editorial: Integrating immune check inhibitors in liver transplantation for hepatocellular carcinoma: The right time and the right patient [00:11:46] Association of Procurement Technique with Organ Yield and Cost Following Donation After Circulatory Death Editorial: Dawn Has Arrived, Illuminating Thrilling Opportunities and Fresh Challenges in a New Era of U.S. Transplantation [00:24:53] Common Definitions and Variables are Needed for the United States to Join the Conversation on Acute on Chronic Liver Failure [00:33:15] Enhanced role of multipair donor swaps in response to size incompatibility: The first two 5-way and the first 6-way liver paired exchanges [00:40:15] Comparing the prognostic performance of iBOX and biopsy-proven acute rejection for long-term kidney graft survival [00:48:22] Incomplete reporting of clinically significant acute rejection episodes in the National Kidney Transplant Registry

Hosts Roz and Josh are joined by Alissar El Chediak, MD to discuss the key articles of the September issue of the American Journal of Transplantation. Alissar El Chediak, MD is a transplant nephrologist at UT Southwestern   [02:55] – Liver Machine Perfusion Technology: Expanding the Donor Pool to Improve Access to Liver Transplantation [08:01] – Editorial: Machine perfusion and liver transplant center behavior: Answers or more questions? [11:01] - Obesity, Organ Failure, and Transplantation: A Review of the Role of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery in Transplant Candidates and Recipients. [18:48] – Virus Specific T Cell Therapy to Treat Refractory Viral infections in Solid Organ Transplant Recipients [25:08] - Third-party virus-specific T cells for the treatment of double-stranded DNA viral reactivation and posttransplant lymphoproliferative disease after solid organ transplant [28:48] – Editorial: Virus-specific T-cell efficacy after solid organ transplantation: more questions than answers [34:05] - Successful BK virus–specific T cell therapy in a kidney transplant recipient with progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy [37:50] - The prevalence of postacute sequelae of coronavirus disease 2019 in solid organ transplant recipients: Evaluation of risk in the National COVID Cohort Collaborative

Description:  Hosts Roz and Josh are joined by Maria Alejandra Mendoza, MD to discuss the key articles of the August issue of American Journal of Transplantation.   [01:57] Impact of deceased organ donor marijuana use on donor culture positivity and solid organ transplant recipient outcomes https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajt.2024.02.022 [13:11] China Issued Rules on Human Organ Donation and Transplantation https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajt.2024.04.002 [21:10] Advancing Mouse Models for Transplantation Research https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajt.2024.01.006 [30:05] Differential induction of donor-reactive Foxp3+ Treg via blockade of CD154 vs. CD40 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajt.2024.03.033 [40:27] Total Robotic Liver Transplant: The Final Frontier of Minimally Invasive Surgery https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajt.2024.03.030

Hosts Roz and Josh are joined by Mack Morris, MD to discuss the key articles of the July issue of American Journal of Transplantation. [03:33] Biliary complications after adult-to-adult living-donor liver transplantation: An international multicenter study of 3633 cases https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajt.2024.02.023  [13:07] The impact of time to death in donors after circulatory death on recipient outcome in simultaneous pancreas-kidney transplantation https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajt.2024.02.008  [24:30] Should advanced perfusion be the standard of care for donation after circulatory death liver transplant? https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajt.2024.03.021  [32:20] Immunosuppression Withdrawal in Living-donor Renal Transplant Recipients Following Induction with Anti-thymocyte Globulin and Rituximab: Results of a Prospective Clinical Trial https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajt.2024.03.007  [40:30] Spatial multiomics of arterial regions from cardiac allograft vasculopathy rejected grafts reveal novel insights into the pathogenesis of chronic antibody-mediated rejection https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajt.2024.01.004 

In this specialty podcast, AJT Fellow and host David Cron is joined by Jesse Schold and Joel Adler to provide an overview policy evaluation in transplantation, including analytical approaches, pitfalls, and best practices. References Stewart et al. “Does anyone really know what (the kidney median waiting) time is?”   Noreen et al. “Augmenting the United States transplant registry with external mortality data: A moving target ripe for further improvement” Shifman et al. “Association of state Medicaid expansion policies with pediatric liver transplant outcomes”