Tribune

The meeting agreed that “within thenext 20 years there are major economicand health care benefits to individualsand communities through increased trans-plantation. As we increase the pool ofdonors through a global network, we canincrease life expectancy and improve thequality of life for patients in need.”

The participants decided to form theAdvisory Board of the GAT and set out alist of priorities and intentions that wouldbecome the basis for the action plan. TheBoard will establish strategies for dona-tion and transplantation that optimise thetreatment and outcomes of organ, tissue,and cell transplantation.

Priorities for moving forward includedencouraging organ, cell and tissue dona-tion, ensuring ethical practice standardsand guidelines in transplantation, estab-lishing educational programs, promotingresearch and unified systems of data col-lection, increasing the flow of informationto the public at large, and networkingwith all the important stakeholders.

“As time goes on, our advisory Boardwill facilitate mutually beneficial relation-ships with stakeholders, encourage organ,cell and tissue donation, establish a trans-parent flow of information about our fieldof practice, share knowledge about educa-tion and training, and foster the develop-ment of global practice guidelines,” saidJeremy Chapman, The TransplantationSociety (TTS) Vice President and Directorof Renal Medicine at Westmead Hospital,Sydney, Australia.

The Advisory Board will meet at theWorld Transplant Congress in Boston inJuly 2006 to establish the next steps andthe action plan for the Alliance. Since theinaugural meeting, the Asian Society forTransplantation held a workshop inKarachi, Pakistan to identify the educa-tional needs of transplant professionals indeveloping countries. �

Statement ofStrategic Intentions✔ To promote organ, tissue,

and cell donation.✔ To endorse and/or establish

institutional and professionalguidelines.

✔ To establish educationalprograms to improveexpertise and standards intransplantation.

✔ To develop systems andstandards for data collection,analysis, dissemination, andvalidation of transplantationoutcomes.

✔ To promote research andevidence-basedtransplantation practices.

✔ To increase transparency and increase publicknowledge about donationand transplantation.

✔ To engage and communicatewith governmental health,regulatory authorities andcommunity stakeholders.

1

• Cell Transplant Society • International Pancreas and Islet Transplant Association • International Society for Organ Donation & Procurement• International Xenotransplantation Association • Intestinal Transplant Association • Transplant Infectious Disease

M A R C H 2 0 0 6 V o l u m e I I I I s s u e I O F F I C I A L N E W S L E T T E R O F T H E T R A N S P L A N TAT I O N S O C I E T Y

Global network promotes ethical practices

IN THISISSUE

Sign-up today for theWorld TransplantCongress in Boston …3

New TTS ResearchFellowshipopportunity

…5Promoting andsupporting ethicalorgan donation

…6

Philadelphia, PA, USA — Key players in international transplantation met at the inaugural board meeting of theGlobal Alliance for Transplantation (GAT) in November to

discuss their mission to advance the safe, effective and ethical,practice of transplantation for all patients in need.

FOUR DECADES OF INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION, INNOVATION, GROWTH AND PROGRESS

and its Sections

It is with great pleasure that I announcethat 2006 marks the 40th Anniversaryof The Transplantation Society (TTS).TTS will be celebrating this anniversaryby holding a number of special events

to mark the occasion and to recognize theoutstanding contributions of its distinguishedmembers.

Nick Tilney, President Elect of TTS, haswritten a paper charting the events that havetaken TTS from the fledgling society formed in1966 to the outstanding organisation it istoday, providing the focus for global leader-ship in transplantation. His paper will be pub-lished in Transplantation in June 2006. It is afascinating chronicle and we hope you will allenjoy reading it. Take a look at the preview onp.5 for a few highlights.

WORLD ORGAN DONATION ANDTRANSPLANTATION DAYDrs Jeremy Chapman, Francis Delmonico andI represented TTS at the First World OrganDonation and Transplantation Day held inGeneva on October 14, 2005. This event,organized with participation of the WorldHealth Organization, will be an important partof the initiatives of the Global Alliance forTransplantation to promote organ, tissue andcell donation. I was part of a human chainformed by the families of organ donors, worldleaders in transplantation and organ trans-plant recipients to accept and endorse the textWorld Health Assembly Resolution onTransplantation. On p. 6 you can read aboutthe panel discussion that took place at theevent that gave a global perspective on theissues and ethics of organ donation.

USE YOUR VOTE TTS elections will take place shortly. By theclose of nominations at the end of January anoutstanding list of candidates has beenreceived from those who wish to stand in theelections as either Councillors to representTTS Global Regions Europe, Latin America,Middle East & Africa, and Oceania. Eachmember of TTS who is in good standing isentitled to vote. Please ensure that you castyour vote as soon as you receive the ballotpapers.

CONGRESS 2012 TTS has received a number of bids fromNational Transplantation Societies worldwideoffering to host the XXIV InternationalCongress of TTS in 2012. The Congress

Organising Committee, chaired by CamilloRicordi, will be reviewing the bids over thecoming months to generate a short list thatwill be considered by Council in July inBoston.

TTS RESEARCH FELLOWSHIPS In 2006, TTS will be offering fellowships totrain young scientists and clinicians from dif-ferent TTS Global Regions. This is a first prior-ity for TTS. Applications can be submitted viathe website until March 31st. Please bring thisopportunity to the attention of your colleaguesand read more about the Fellowship on p.5.

TTS KEY OPINION LEADERS OF TOMORROW To build on the position of TTS as the globalleader in transplantation, a series of meetingswill be held to identify those talented younginvestigators who have the potential tobecome the Key Opinion Leaders ofTomorrow. These future leaders will be soughtfrom each of TTS’ Global Regions. I wouldlike to thank Wyeth for supporting this excit-ing initiative in 2006. More information aboutthe meetings will be posted on TTS’ website.

WTC 2006I hope by now that you have all taken fulladvantage of the low member registrationrates, registered for WTC 2006, and submittedyour most exciting data. It promises to be anexcellent meeting with an outstanding pro-gramme, presenting the latest and most excit-ing science and clinical work in the field oftransplantation. We have included some high-lights of the program on p. 3. Abstract sub-missions close on March 3rd. If you have notsubmitted anything yet, you still have time.

INTERIM EXECUTIVE DIRECTORLucy Felicissimo kindly agreed to fill in asInterim Executive Director from the end ofOctober and the new look of the newsletterwas one of her first initiatives. I hope that youenjoy the newsletter and I look forward toseeing you all in Boston in July. �

2

Kathryn WoodP R E S I D E N T ’ S M E S S A G E

Tribune is published threetimes per year by The Transplanta-tion Society (TTS). Views expressedin news and feature articles arethose of the individual quoted.

TTS gratefully acknowledges theCorporate Sponsors whose gener-ous support makes the work of theSociety possible:

Astellas Pharma Inc.F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd.Genzyme CorporationNovartis Pharma AGWyeth Pharmaceuticals

Editor in ChiefHenrik Ekberg

ContributorsJeremy ChapmanNicholas Tilney

Central Business OfficeFilomena PiccianoFrank LindoSabrina Santucci

Editorial, production, publication managementSouthlea Communications Inc. inpartnership with Robin Palin PublicRelations Inc.

For more information:The Transplantation Society Central Business OfficeÉdifice Place du Quartier1111 Saint-Urbain St., Suite 108Montreal, QC H2Z 1Y6 Canada

E-mail: info@transplantation-soc.orgTelephone: +1-514-874-1717Fax: +1-514-874-1716www.transplantation-soc.org

Kathryn Wood

3

First World TransplantCongress comes to Boston

The InternationalAdvisory Grouphas put togeth-

er six days worth ofeducational program-ming for the 2006World TransplantCongress (WTC) to beheld at the HynesConvention Center, BostonMassachusetts, July 22 – 27, 2006.

“This important meeting will provide aforum for exchange of new scientific andclinical information relevant to solidorgan and tissue transplantation, createan arena for the interchange of ideasregarding care and management of organand tissue transplant recipients, and facil-itate discussions of the socioeconomic,ethical, and regulatory issues related tosolid organ and tissue transplantation,”said TTS President Kathryn Wood.

WTC is an occasion for physicians,surgeons, scientists, nurses, organ pro-curement personnel, and pharmacistsfrom all over the world to come togetherin a common forum to share cutting-edgeresearch in the field of solid organ andtissue transplantation. It is the first jointmeeting of TTS, American Society ofTransplant Surgeons and the AmericanSociety of Transplantation.

ON THE PROGRAM:POST GRADUATE COURSES:On Saturday July 22, 2006, the coursesinclude Clinical Transplant Update,which will provide an in-depth overviewof the important topics in clinical trans-plantation relevant to all solid organs.

There will be a Basic Science Updatecourse, developed specifically for thebasic science researchers, and a BasicImmunobiology Update for theClinician.

Transplant Associate Professionalssymposium on donation and transplanta-tion will be co-sponsored by theInternational Transplant Nurses Society(ITNS), the International Society for Heartand Lung Transplantation (ISHLT) and

WHO supports China’s attempts to modernize transplantation practicesOfficers of The TransplantationSociety (TTS) Ethics Committeerecently attended meetings inKarachi, Pakistan, and Manila,The Philippines, organized bythe World Health Organization(WHO) as part of its consulta-tion process with nationalhealth authorities on the topicof transplantation.

Vice-Minister of Health,Huang Jiefu, who chaired themeeting in Manila, gave aninterview to Beijing’s CaijingMagazine following the meet-ing. He acknowledged that mosthuman organs used for trans-plantation in China are those ofexecuted prisoners.

The current Chinese protocolmeets international standards ofmedical ethics and no organsare harvested without the con-sent of either the prisoners ortheir families. Yet, in order toimprove the current regulations,in particular to establish moretransparency and third partyoversight, a draft legal frame-work for transplantation activi-ties will be submitted to theState Council of China.

Vice-Minister Huang alsoindicated that the developmentof live organ donation, currentlyaccounting for only 5% of thesupply of human organs, is anecessary challenge.

In addition, China will intro-duce an accreditation/authoriza-tion system for hospitals wheretransplantation activities aretaking place, a national co-ordi-nation to ensure proper over-

INBRIEF

Continued on page 5

the North American TransplantCoordinators Organization (NATCO).

Take advantage of these postgraduatecourses to get an update on basic science,basic immunobiology, organ donation andclinical transplantation.

Sunday July 23, 2006PRE-MEETING SYMPOSIA:• Pediatric Symposium• Alloimmunization• Infectious Disease Update• Pathology Workshop: Multi-organ

Approach• Novel Technologies: Applications to

Transplantation• Ethics and Economics Symposium. • Surgical issues in transplantation.• Rampant skin cancer in solid organ

transplant recipients.

These will run in parallel with a seriesof mini-symposia in basic science whereyoung investigators have an opportunityto present their work. Be sure to readabout the Young Investigator Awards inupcoming newsletters or by visiting theTTS website

The four-day Congress will feature sun-rise symposia, early morning workshops,daytime state-of-the-art symposia, lec-tures, poster sessions, debates, socialevents and the popular “What’s HotBasic/Clinical” session.

WTC has been planned and imple-mented in accordance with the Essentialsand Standards of the AccreditationCouncil for Continuing Medical Education(ACCME).

For more information about the WTCand a full schedule of planned events visitwww.wtc2006.org �

4

Young Investigator Awards

2 0 0 4 R E C I P I E N T S

Prolonged correction of hyperglycemiamay be possible if autologous islet-like cells are transplanted, indicating

a potential new therapy for diabetes saysYoung Investigator Award recipient MarenSchulze.

The award winning paper entitled,“Normalization of Blood Glucose byHuman Monocyte-Derived cells inStreptozotozin Diabetic Mice-Perspectivesfor Autologous Cell Therapy” was basedon an investigation used to determine ifislet-like cells derived from human periph-eral blood monocytes could provide a newdiabetic therapy.

While islet cell transplantation is agrowing treatment for diabetes, the supplyof cells is limited and the immunosuppres-sive regimens are hazardous. Over thecourse of this investigation however, theislet-like cells appeared to be a future pos-sible source. The islet-like cells werefound as aggregates, some staining forinsulin, glucagon, somatostatin and pan-creatic peptide. Insulin mRNA was alsodetected.

Incubating the cells with glucose result-ed in insulin and C-peptide secretion.Transplanting the insulin-secreting cells

into diabetic mice produced a correctionin hyperglycemia within 2 days that lasteduntil day 8 post-transplant. Lymphocyteinfiltrates in the kidneys indicated rejec-tion was responsible for the failure to nor-malize blood glucose after day 9.

Schulze’s early research focused on thecharacterization and differentiation of ratembryonic stem cell-like cells. She showedtheir ability to induce donor specific toler-ance to second set allogeneic heterotopicheart transplants. Other studies with mon-oclonal antibodies showed rat and humanbone marrow and blood contained a sub-population of cells with the same epitope.These cells were isolated and expansionstudies revealed cells of mononuclear ori-gin, which could be dedifferentiated to astate that expressed stem cell specific anti-gens. These stem cell-like cells showedthey could differentiate into varioussomatic cells, including one that producedinsulin. It was this earlier work that devel-oped into the research described in herpaper.

Schulze graduated in Medicine fromthe University of Kiel, Germany in 1999.She then trained in Surgery in theDepartment of General and Thoracic

Surgery at theUniversity of Kiel.Afterwards, shewas a scientificassistant and resi-dent in Generaland ThoracicSurgery. Schulzealso trained inplastic surgeryand hand surgery while a resident in theintensive care unit for severe burns atUniversity Hospital in Lubeck. She spentone year as a rotational resident inTraumatology at the University of Kiel andworks part-time for the German Society ofOrgan Transplantation.

Schulze is the recipient of aScholarship from the German ResearchOrganization. After completing her spe-cialist surgical training in 2005, she plansto take up a Fellowship in Transplantationand Hepatobiliary Surgery at theUniversity of Capetown, South Africa.While there, she will continue to investi-gate monocyte-derived insulin producingcells in a non-human primate model ofdiabetes. �

Maren Schulze

M A R E N S C H U L Z EAutologous islet-like cells to treat diabetes

Kidneys from GalT-KO donor pigs areresistant to hyperacute and acceler-ated humoral rejection even with-

out complement inhibition or removal ofpre-existing antibodies according toresearch findings from Young InvestigatorAward recipient Koji Yazawa and his col-leagues.

The award to Yazawa was for his paperentitled, “Neither Complement Inhibitionnor Depletion of Natural Antibody isRequired to Avoid Hyperacute orAccelerated Acute Rejection FollowingGALT-KO Pig-to-Baboon RenalTransplantation.” Past studies have shownthat despite tolerance-inducing regimensand removal of natural antibodies to thealpha 1, 3-gal epitope, survival times haveremained limited in xenografts fromminiature pigs to baboons.

To overcome this limitation, Yazawa,

and his colleagues in the TransplantationBiology Research Center of HarvardMedical School, investigated using donorkidneys from knockout (GalT-KO) inbredminiature pigs. Baboon recipients weretreated with regimens to induce tolerance,inhibit complement and produce immuno-suppression. Recipients of kidneys fromwild-type donor pigs also had extracorpo-real removal of anti-Gal antibodies.

Professor Kazuhiko Yamada, Yazawa’ssupervisor says, “These results are veryexciting because using the inbred GalT-KOpigs we have been able to extend the sur-vival of experimental non-human primatesreceiving xenograft organs.” Yamada ishead of the Organ TransplantationTolerance and XenotransplantationLaboratory at the Transplantation BiologyResearch Centre, Harvard Medical School.

Yazawa attended Osaka University

Medical School,Japan andobtained his M.D.degree in 1995.After completinghis residency inUrology, in 2000he joined OsakaUniversityGraduate Schoolof Medicine to study for his Ph.D. Duringthis period he joined the TransplantationBiology Research Center, MassachusettsGeneral Hospital as a Research Fellowwith Professor Kazuhiko Yamada. Theresults described in the paper wereobtained during the one and a half yearsthat Yazawa was a member of ProfessorYamada’s team. Yazawa returned toOsaka, Japan in 2004 where he practicesas a clinical urologist. �

K O J I Y A Z A W AExtended survival of xenograft organs

Koji Yazawa

1980s

1990s

2000

1960s

5

40 years of history in the making

To mark the 40th AnniversaryNicholas L. Tilney has written acommemorative booklet describingthe early attempts at transplantationthat led to the first successful kid-ney transplant between identicaltwins in 1954. The booklet, whichwill be published in June 2006, out-lines the spectacular advances thathave helped revolutionize modernmedicine.

In the 1960s the immunocompe-tency of lymphocytes and the signif-icance of cross matching were rec-ognized. Histocompatibility geneswere discovered and HLA wasdefined while immunosuppressionwas being explored.

The next decade brought tissuetyping, DR matching and the TransplantRegistry. Malignancies in immunosup-pressed recipients were recognized and atumor registry was established. Organpreservation improved so that organscould be more widely distributed; patientmortality decreased. The first antilym-phocye antibodies became available.

In the 1980s, there was a significantincrease in organ transplantation, includ-ing extra renal organs, as potentimmunosuppressant drugs became avail-able. The first, cyclosporine, led toincreased multicentre collaboration inclinical trials. Many clinical trials testedtreatment regimens, especially as otherimmunosuppressant drugs, such astacrolimus, began to appear. Ethicalissues emerged with the potential com-mercialization of organs.

Despite the great advances in organtransplantation, in the 1990s rejectionwas still a problem, especially chronicrejection. Newer immunosuppressantdrugs, such as mycophenolate mofetiland rapamycin, became available andstrategies to optimize treatment were

evaluated. Induction therapy with mono-clonal antibodies was initiated and thepossibilities for inducing tolerance wereconsidered.

Transplantation in the new millenniumis focussed on investigating the role ofstem cells in clinical transplantation.Techniques to repair and construct organsfor transplantation are being evaluatedand the Global Alliance forTransplantation has been established toensure efficient organ sharing and evalu-ate ethical issues that come with a globalnetwork.

Tilney traces a fascinating paththrough the history of transplantationfrom the very earliest days when physi-cians could only dream of replacing fail-ing organs to the present day when organtransplantation has become an effectiveand routine treatment.

Aristotle said, “If you would under-stand anything, observe its beginning andits development.” �

sight and optimal use of humanorgans including a nationaldonor and recipient registrationsystem, as well as set fees fortransplantation procedures. Thiswill allow for better control oftrafficking in human organs andtransplant tourism.

Vice-Minister Huang hopesthis new set of regulations willimprove the international imageof China.

China, with approximately60,000 kidney transplants, 6,000liver transplants and 250 hearttransplants since 1993, is nowsecond only to the UnitedStates.

New Fellowshipopportunity for TTS membersThe Transplantation Society(TTS) has introduced a 2-yearResearch Fellowship to assistyoung investigators to achievetheir potential of making a sig-nificant contribution to the fieldof transplantation.

The Fellowships are designedto provide research training toTTS members and are availablefor both basic and clinicalresearch for studies either in thelaboratory or a clinical setting.Eligibility for each award isdefined by the period of trainingalready completed and, in somecases, by academic qualifica-tions, age and location of thehost institution.

Successful candidates will beannounced at a special ceremo-ny at the World TransplantCongress in July. Full details ofthe application procedure areavailable at www.transplanta-tion-soc.org. Deadline toapply: March 31, 2006

INBRIEF

Four Decades of InternationalCooperation, Innovation, Growth and ProgressJune 2006

1966 - 2006

Since it was founded in 1966, The TransplantationSociety has been a global leader of international cooper-ation, innovation, growth and progress in bringing the

promise of organ replacement to patients.

Continued from page 3

6

Professor Philippe Morel and histeam from the University of Genevaorganized the one of a kind gathering.The event hosted discussions on arange of issues including the potentialimpact of the dramatic growth of thecommercial organ market.

Alex Capron, Director of Ethics,Trade, Human Rights and Health Lawfor WHO, said “as early as 1970, TheTransplantation Society (TTS) hasaffirmed that the sale of organs isindefensible under any circum-stances.” The Society maintains it isthe obligation of transplant programsto ensure that donors have not beensolicited and are not acting for profit.

In 1989, the World Health

Assembly adopted resolution WHA42.5 entitled “Preventing the Purchaseand Sale of Human Organs.” Fouryears later, the WHA approved“Guiding Principles on Human OrganTransplantation” which resulted inlegislation in support of high ethicalstandards in more than 60 countries.

The guiding principles establish, asuniversal ethical standards, that:• all donations should be knowing

and voluntary;• organs should be distributed equi-

tably;• organs should preferably come from

deceased donors;• among living donors, related donors

are preferred;• no payment should be given or

received for organs.In May 2004, the WHA reviewed

the guiding principles to ensure theymore clearly addressed, among otherconcerns, the safety of the livingdonor. The principles were updated toconsider special cultural factors such

as attitudes towardscadaveric donations.

Adib Rizvi, Director ofthe Sindh Institute forUrology and Transplanta-tion (SIUT) in Karachi,Pakistan, said that in somecultures there remains aresistance to organ dona-tion after death. Rizvi saidlegislation has beendelayed in Pakistan’sSenate for 12 years. InPakistan, one of the fewMuslim countries withouta brain-death law, societalreverence for the dead,low literacy rates andother factors combine to

encourage government inaction. The absence of an appropriate legal

framework has resulted in a dramaticincrease in ‘unrelated commercialtransplantation.’ In 1990 ‘unrelatedcommercial transplantation’ was 25percent of all transplantations done inPakistan. By 2004, in the absence of a

legislative framework, it had grown to84 percent of all transplantations,making Pakistan a center of transplanttourism.

Frank Delmonico, Chairman of theEthics Committee of TTS called forglobal guidance for the welfare of liv-ing donors. He said experts and lead-ers in transplantation from more than40 countries attending the Amsterdamand Vancouver Forums had developedan international reference of guide-lines focused on the living donor.

Rafael Galindez, the SeniorExecutive of Argentina’s NationalOrganization for Transplantation saidthe access to safe, effective and ethi-cal transplantation requires the collab-oration of all stakeholders, profession-als, health authorities and the public.He said Argentina’s new NationalInformation System for Procurementand Transplantation allows for regula-tory analysis, surveillance and moni-toring and provides transparency toprocurement and transplantationactivity.

In Japan Shiho Takaoka, Chief ofthe Office for Organ Transplantationin Japan’s Ministry of Health, said thebrain-death definition for potentialdonors only became law in 1997.Previous to that time, all donors weredefined by heart deaths. He said thatsince introduction of the law, accept-ance of the brain-death definition hasresulted in very few additional trans-plants and that efforts are underwaythrough public information programsand other means to improve the levelof donations. �

A Gift for Life, World Donation Day

(From left to right) Luc Noël, WHO, Kathryn Wood, President, TTS,and Frank Delmonico, Chairman, TTS Ethics Committee attendedA Gift for Life in Geneva.

GENEVA, Switzerland—A roundtable discussionorganized under the auspices of the 7thEuropean and 1st World Organ Donation and

Transplantation Day has provided a global perspective on the issues and ethics of organ donation.

7

Benvenuto a Milano and Lake MaggioreA slate of world-class researchers in diabetes,neurological and muscular diseases, heart andliver diseases, oncology, tissue engineering,stem cells and xenotransplantation andimmunological tolerance will highlight the2006 Cell Transplant Conference, May 18 - 20,2006 in Milan, Italy.

A section of the event has been dedicatedto Ethical and Regulatory issues, with particu-lar reference to Stem Cell research.

Visit www.celltx.org/2006 for up to theminute information.

ISODP conference a successThe 8th Congress of the ISODP, arranged bymembers Valter Duro Garcia and Mario AbbudFilho, was held in December in Gramado,Brazil. The ISODP Congress was conductedjointly with the 5th Congress of theInternational Transplant Coordinators Society(ITCS), the 1st conferences of the Brazilianand Latin American Transplant CoordinatorsOrganizations and the Brazilian TransplantedPatient Societies.

World-renowned experts participated inpanel discussions and gave presentations ontopics including donor management, extendedcriteria and non-heart-beating donation, quali-ty control of the organ donation process andthe ethics of living unrelated donation. Therewere over 400 participants from 25 countriesacross Europe, the United States and Asia.

Håkan Gäbel, President of the ISODP andNicholas Tilney, President-Elect of TTS,presided over the closing ceremony of theCongress, which was highlighted by the pres-entation of nine Young Investigator Awards.

New elected officers include Valter DuroGarcia (Brazil) President, Howard M. Nathan(United States), President-Elect and BernardCohen (Netherlands) who shall remain as theTreasurer. Håkan Gäbel (Sweden) will be theImmediate Past-President.

Join the ISODP and participate in the 9thCongress, to be held in Philadelphia in the fallof 2007.

IXA focuses on ethics in 2005International Xenotransplantation Association(IXA) made progress by working closely withthe World Health Organization (WHO)towards implementing Resolution 58.18,which mandates harmonization of interna-tional guidelines and practices regarding xeno-transplantation.

The Association and its Ethics Committeemet with health authorities in April in Geneva

to take preliminary steps for promoting ethicalconduct in xenotransplantation. To supportthis initiative, the IXA Council has establishedan Outreach Committee headed by BernhardHering.

IXA is proud to introduce new PresidentMegan Sykes who took over from TonyD’Apice. New council members include PeterCowan, Tony Dorling, Joseph Leventhal andBernhard Hering. Robin Pierson III was elect-ed President-Elect. Carl Groth was honoredfor his contributions to the field by beingnamed an Honorary Member of IXA.

A highlight of IXA’s activities was its bian-nual meeting held in Göteborg, Sweden inSeptember. A symposium on ABO-mis-matched transplantation drew participants aswell as financial support. The Associationwould like to thank Michael Breimer and hiscommittee for their hard work and success inorganizing this meeting.

Get involved with IPITAThe International Pancreas and IsletTransplant Association (IPITA) is a scientificforum for the exchange and discussion of clin-ical and experimental results and experiencesrelevant to the transplantation of insulin pro-ducing tissue in the treatment and cure of dia-betes mellitus.

Becoming a member of the IPITA section,you will be eligible to attend and benefit froma discount on registration fees at the first everJoint Meeting in Minneapolis, USA fromSeptember 15 - 20, 2007 between CellTransplant Society, IPITA and InternationalXenotransplantation Association.

Basic Science meeting to be held in CanadaThe 2007 Basic Science Symposium of TheTransplantation Society will be heldSeptember 5 - 8, 2007 in Halifax, NovaScotia, Canada at the Westin Nova ScotianHotel and Conference Centre. The event willbe co-sponsored by the Canadian Society ofTransplantation.

Topics discussed at the meeting will focuson the basic science of transplantation withan emphasis on transferring knowledge to theclinical setting. An international programcommittee is in the process of finalizing theprogram and the session lecturers.

Program details will be available on theTTS website. �

INBRIEF

Tribune

The meeting agreed that “within the

next 20 years there are major economic

and health care benefits to individuals

and communities through increased trans-

plantation. As we increase the pool of

donors through a global network, we can

increase life expectancy and improve the

quality of life for patients in need.”The participants decided to form the

Advisory Board of the GAT and set out a

list of priorities and intentions that would

become the basis for the action plan. The

Board will establish strategies for dona-

tion and transplantation that optimise the

treatment and outcomes of organ, tissue,

and cell transplantation.Priorities for moving forward included

encouraging organ, cell and tissue dona-

tion, ensuring ethical practice standards

and guidelines in transplantation, estab-

lishing educational programs, promoting

research and unified systems of data col-

lection, increasing the flow of information

to the public at large, and networking

with all the important stakeholders.

“As time goes on, our advisory Board

will facilitate mutually beneficial relation-

ships with stakeholders, encourage organ,

cell and tissue donation, establish a trans-

parent flow of information about our field

of practice, share knowledge about educa-

tion and training, and foster the develop-

ment of global practice guidelines,” said

Jeremy Chapman, The Transplantation

Society (TTS) Vice President and Director

of Renal Medicine at Westmead Hospital,

Australia.The Advisory Board will meet at the

World Transplant Congress in Boston in

July 2006 to establish the next steps and

the action plan for the Alliance. Since the

inaugural meeting the Asian Society for

Transplantation held a workshop inKarachi, Pakistan to identify the educa-

tional needs of transplant professionals in

developing countries. I

Statement ofStrategic Intentions✔ To promote organ, tissue, and cell donation.✔ To endorse and/or establish

institutional and professionalguidelines. ✔ To establish educational

programs to improveexpertise and standards intransplantation.✔ To develop systems and

standards for data collection,analysis, dissemination, andvalidation of transplantationoutcomes.

✔ To promote research andevidence-basedtransplantation practices.

✔ To increase transparency and increase publicknowledge about donation

and transplantation.✔ To engage and communicatewith governmental health,regulatory authorities andcommunity stakeholders.

1

• Cell Transplant Society • International Pancreas and Islet Transplant Association • International Society for Organ Donation & Procurement

• International Xenotransplantation Association • Intestinal Transplant Association • Transplant Infectious Disease

M A R C H 2 0 0 6 V o l u m e I I I I s s u e I O F F I C I A L N E W S L E T T E R O F T H E T R A N S P L A N TAT I O N S O C I E T Y

Global network promotes ethical practices

IN THISISSUESign-up today for theWorld TransplantCongress in Boston

New TTS ResearchFellowshipopportunity 5Promoting andsupporting ethicalorgan donation 6

P hiladelphia, PA, USA — Key players in international

transplantation met at the inaugural board meeting of the

Global Alliance for Transplantation (GAT) in November to

discuss their mission to advance the safe, effective and ethical,

practice of transplantation for all patients in need.

FOUR DECADES OF INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION, INNOVATION, GROWTH AND PROGRESS

and its Sections

3

TTS SectionsN E W S & U P D AT E S

New look and new nameTo celebrate its 40-year anni-versary, The TransplantationSociety is introducing a brand-new newsletter, Tribune.

The word Tribune is one ofthe earliest references to transplantation. In mythology,Cosmos and Damian are credited with transplanting theleg of a black Moor onto thebody of a Tribune — an officerwho commanded a legion ofsoldiers — who lost his leg in battle. Cosmos and Damian are reputedly the patron saintsof physicians.

Tribune also means a daisfor speakers confronting anassembly, which has led to its most popular derivative:Tribune as in the name of anewspaper.

Send your ideas for articlesand your comments about TTSTribune to info@transplanta-tion-soc.org

The Transplantation Society (TTS)Central Business Office team: (fromleft to right) Sabrina Santucci,Administrative Assistant, FrankLindo, Membership ServicesManager, Filomena Picciano,Manager –Society Operations. Youcan reach TTS Central Businessoffice by e-mail:info@transplantation-soc.org ortelephone: +1-514-874-1717

Visit our website atwww.transplantation-soc.org

Easy online membership paymentand journal purchaseYou can now pay your TTS andTTS Section membership duesthrough a secure online pay-ment system on the TTS web-site. Credit card transactionsare processed when you checkout and an immediate confir-mation is sent to your emailaddress. Purchasing journalshas never been so simple.

Become a Societymember onlineNot a member of TTS? Sign-uponline and become a memberof the Society or any of our distinguished Sections and takeadvantage of all the benefits we have to offer.

TTS ResearchFellowshipApply online for the TTSResearch Fellowship award.Submit all documents throughthe website quickly and easily.Applicants must submit asummary of their curriculumvitae, proposed research orclinical training plan, statementof career goals, names andaddresses of two referees, startdate of Fellowship, statementfrom the sponsor at hostinstitution, Sponsor’sCV/Biosketch, and active andpending research support.Deadline to apply: March 31,2006

Online EducationRemember to visit the TTSwebsite periodically to get upto date education information.

2006 8th International Congress ofthe Cell Transplant SocietyMilan, ItalyMay 18 to 20, 2006CHAIR: Antonio SecchiINFO: www.celltx.org/2006

World Transplant Congress 2006under the auspices of TheTransplantation Society, the American Society of Transplantation,and the American Society of Transplant SurgeonsBoston, MA, USAJuly 21 to 28, 2006CHAIR: A. Benedict CosimiINFO: www.wtc2006.org

2007Basic Science Symposium 2007Halifax, Nova Scotia, CanadaSeptember 5 to 8, 2007(Westin Hotel)CHAIRS: Ken West, Tony Jevniko

and Lori West

Joint Meeting of theCell Transplant Society (CTS),the International Pancreas andIslet Transplant Association(IPITA), and the InternationalXenotransplantationAssociation (IXA)Minneapolis, MN, USASeptember 15 to 20, 2007CHAIRS: D. Sutherland, B. Herring,

and M. Sykes

2008 XXII International Congress ofThe Transplantation SocietySydney, AustraliaAugust 10 to 14, 2008CHAIR: Jeremy ChapmanINFO: www.transplantation2008.org

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WEBSITEUPDATE

Kathryn WoodPresident

Nicholas L. TilneyPresident-Elect

David E.R. SutherlandImmediate Past-President

David H. SachsVice-President (Western)

Jeremy ChapmanVice-President (Eastern)

Andrew BradleySecretary (Eastern)

Hans SollingerSecretary (Western)

Paul A. KeownTreasurer (Western)

Richard D.M. AllenTreasurer (Eastern)

COUNCILLORSRonald W. BusuttilMaggie DallmanHenrik EkbergJohn FungBarry D. KahanRandall E. MorrisGerhard OpelzCamillo RicordiOscar Salvatierra, Jr.Ron ShapiroMegan SykesKoichi Tanaka

U P C O M I N G M E E T I N G S

For a comprehensive list of allmeetings occurring in the

transplant field, please check out www.transplantation-soc.org

click on Meetings & Events on the homepage.

THE TRANSPLANTATION SOCIETY OFF ICERS