by Vikash Chandra Mishra  , Dinesh Chandra  and Vimarsh Raina

Received: 15 July 2025;  Published: 25 November 2025;  doi: 10.21926/obm.transplant.2504260

Though the role of clinical histocompatibility testing is fundamental to successful transplant, systematic risk assessment and mitigation strategies remain underutilised in this domain. This review addresses risk identification, analysis, and control measures across the pre-analytical, analytical, and post-analytical phases of clinical histocompatibility testing, in line with international standards such as ISO 15189:2022. A structured, risk-based quality management system (QMS) is imperative for ensuring accurate [...]

by Marina Zafranskaya  , Olesya Shatova  , Elizaveta Nazaranka  , Alena Кurlianskaya  , Galina Ivanchik  , Irina Russkih  , Alesia Vialichka  , Marina Kolyadko  , Tatyana Denisevich  , Svetlana Kulinich  and Darya Nizheharodava

Received: 30 June 2025;  Published: 21 October 2025;  doi: 10.21926/obm.transplant.2504259

To date, all large-scale randomized controlled trials for COVID-19 vaccines have excluded solid organ transplant recipients; therefore, the effectiveness and safety of COVID-19 vaccines in preventing coronavirus infection using COVID-19 vaccines in patients with heart transplants have not been sufficiently studied. This paper presents the characteristics of humoral and cellular immunity in heart transplant recipients following vaccination against coronavirus infection. The study group consisted of 40 patients who u [...]

by Livia Maria Surdi  , Maribel Dagher  , Tamara Merhej  , John Choi  and Jamil R. Azzi

Received: 17 April 2025;  Published: 10 September 2025;  doi: 10.21926/obm.transplant.2503258

Antibody-mediated rejection (ABMR) remains a major barrier to long-term graft survival in kidney transplantation. Defined by the presence of donor-specific antibodies (DSAs) and characteristic histological changes, such as C4d deposition in peritubular capillaries, ABMR can present acutely, chronically, or subclinically, often manifesting as graft dysfunction. Recent advances in genomic profiling and diagnostic assays have improved our understanding of its pathophysiology, yet therapeutic strategies remain limited. [...]

by Tamer A. Addissouky

Received: 25 May 2025;  Published: 09 September 2025;  doi: 10.21926/obm.transplant.2503257

Liver and lung transplantation remain among the most intricate and resource-intensive arenas in modern medicine, challenged by organ scarcity, immunological complexities, and the persistent threat of rejection. According to recent WHO and UNOS reports, approximately 100,000 patients globally await liver transplants annually, with only 30-40% receiving transplants, resulting in waitlist mortality rates of 15-20%. Similarly, lung transplant demand exceeds supply by a factor of 4:1, with 5-year survival rates remainin [...]

by Alexis Guenette  and Valentina Stosor

Received: 12 March 2025;  Published: 04 September 2025;  doi: 10.21926/obm.transplant.2503256

Provided that cell-mediated immunity (CMI) is known to be vital in managing CMV infection post-transplant along with improving methods to predict the development of cytomegalovirus (CMV) following transplant, CMV-specific-cell-mediated immunoassays have been developed, commercially and research based, to be used in conjunction with pre-transplant CMV serological testing and prophylaxis to help tailor an individual care plan post-transplant. In this review, we assess the status of CMV CMI assays, and their potential [...]

by Tessa M. Andermann  , Ke Zeng  , Sayal Guirales-Medrano  , Adam Groth  , Bhanu C. Ramachandran  , Shan Sun  , Alicia A. Sorgen  , Lauren Hill  , Amy T. Bush  , Hongwei Liu  , Corbin Jones  , Jeffrey Roach  , Brian P. Conlon  , Gauri Rao  , Nelson J. Chao  , Anthony A. Fodor  and Anthony D. Sung

Received: 24 April 2025;  Published: 25 August 2025;  doi: 10.21926/obm.transplant.2503255

Home-based hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HCT) is an innovative care model with growing interest, but its impact on the gut microbiome remains unexplored in a randomized setting. We present interim results from the first randomized controlled trials (RCT) evaluating the effect of HCT location—home versus hospital—on gut microbial diversity and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) gene carriage. We hypothesize that patients randomized to undergo home HCT would have higher gut taxonomic diversity and lower AMR ge [...]

by Lara Jones  , David Ross  , Andrew Doud  , Navchetan Kaur  , Sangeeta Bhorade  and Holly Keyt

Received: 31 March 2025;  Published: 21 July 2025;  doi: 10.21926/obm.transplant.2503254

The demographics of lung transplant (LT) recipients show an evolution towards increased minority racial/ethnic representation, thanks to an increased focus on inclusion in LT access, healthcare and outcomes. Herein we assess potential differences in LT allograft health in a predominantly Hispanic/Latino (HL) vs Non-Latino/White (NLW) cohort during surveillance for acute rejection by analyzing the fraction of donor-derived cell-free DNA (dd-cfDNA%), a plasma biomarker of allograft injury. Of 245 LT recipients, media [...]

by Filomena Emanuela Laddaga  , Tommasina Perrone  , Pellegrino Musto  , Ilaria Farella  , Stefano Martinotti  and Francesco Gaudio

Received: 22 February 2025;  Published: 18 June 2025;  doi: 10.21926/obm.transplant.2502253

Primary mediastinal large B-cell lymphoma (PMLBCL) is an aggressive B-cell malignancy that may exhibit resistance to standard chemoimmunotherapy. Novel immunotherapeutic strategies, including checkpoint inhibitors and chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapy, are being explored in cases that are refractory to treatment. We report the case of a 29-year-old patient with refractory PMLBCL who was treated with pembrolizumab as a bridging therapy followed by axicabtagene ciloleucel (CAR-T) after failing R-CHOP a [...]

by Manish Suryapalam  , Jay Kanaparthi  , Shineui Kim  , Pedram Shafiei-Jahani  , Armeen Barghi  and Mohammed Kashem

Received: 10 November 2024;  Published: 11 June 2025;  doi: 10.21926/obm.transplant.2502252

While heart transplantation is increasingly performed in the United States for elderly patients, survival outcomes have primarily been analyzed in single-center studies. The few existing long-term studies have indicated no difference in HTx outcomes between patients ≥70 years and 60-69 years age, but these studies only assessed to 5-years post-transplant and included data from the 1980-90s, introducing significant variance due to poorer outcomes in that era. We analyzed the UNOS database from 1987-2020, stratified [...]

by Elham Amjad  and Babak Sokouti

Received: 21 February 2025;  Published: 09 June 2025;  doi: 10.21926/obm.transplant.2502251

Graft rejection, early allograft dysfunction (EAD), and poor diagnostic accuracy are some of the challenges that still need to be addressed, even though liver transplantation (LT) has the potential to help patients with end-stage liver disease (ESLD) significantly. Traditional procedures, such as liver biopsies and liver function tests (LFTs), often fail to identify abnormalities early and with accuracy. Genomic RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) has recently emerged as a powerful approach for identifying molecular markers o [...]

by Filomena Emanuela Laddaga  , Bruna Daraia  , Pamela Pinto  , Antonio D’amato  , Stella D’oronzo  , Stefano Martinotti  and Francesco Gaudio

Received: 23 January 2025;  Published: 06 June 2025;  doi: 10.21926/obm.transplant.2502250

Off-the-shelf cellular therapies, utilizing allogeneic T cells derived from healthy donors, represent a promising alternative to autologous chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapies for the treatment of hematological malignancies such as leukemias and lymphomas. Unlike autologous approaches, which require the patient’s own cell collection, modification, and expansion, off-the-shelf therapies can be prepared in advance, substantially reducing treatment timelines, decreasing costs, and improving global acces [...]

by Moussa Hamidani  , Salah Aberkane  and Moudjahid Aissaoui

Received: 17 December 2024;  Published: 16 May 2025;  doi: 10.21926/obm.transplant.2502249

Although immunosuppressive drugs are essential and effective in improving the health status of renal transplant patients, they also make them more vulnerable to the risk of infection with COVID-19, which has become a significant concern for many patients. Perhaps this is what makes their way of thinking and perception impact their adherence to taking immunosuppressants. Therefore, this study reveals the possibility of an impact of illness perception and some sociodemographic and clinical factors on treatment adhere [...]

by Camilo A. Velasquez  , Simon Yaguare  , Sabrina Gambini  , Elizabeth McElhiney  and Suresh Keshavamurthy

Received: 19 September 2024;  Published: 27 April 2025;  doi: 10.21926/obm.transplant.2502248

Lung transplantation (LTx) is the gold standard for the surgical treatment of end-stage lung disease. Ongoing discussions persist whether single lung transplantation (SLT) or bilateral lung transplantation (BLT) lead to better patient outcomes and quality of life. This study analyzed 58 peer-reviewed articles from 1990 to 2024, comparing SLT and BLT across several parameters, including indications for transplantation, overall survival, pulmonary hypertension, complications, chronic rejection, functional status, and [...]

by Michael J Eiswerth  and Joel Wedd

Received: 30 November 2024;  Published: 17 April 2025;  doi: 10.21926/obm.transplant.2502247

The prevalence of alcohol use disorder (AUD) and alcohol-related liver disease (ALD) has increased in the last two decades. ALD is currently the most common indication for both waitlist additions and liver transplant (LT) in the United States, including alcohol-associated cirrhosis, alcohol-associated hepatitis (AH), and acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF). ALD also has a significant global disease burden. LT in ALD is a complex paradigm that poses both medical and ethical challenges, requiring a multidisciplinar [...]

by Sara Evans  , Ariba Moin  and Ashwini Arjuna

Received: 13 June 2024;  Published: 09 April 2025;  doi: 10.21926/obm.transplant.2502246

Varicella-zoster virus (VZV) significantly impacts the central and peripheral nervous systems, particularly in immunocompromised individuals. This case report details a rare presentation of VZV meningoencephalitis in a 42-year-old woman with interstitial lung disease and connective tissue disease undergoing lung transplant evaluation who presented with a thunderclap headache and a new-onset seizure. Despite normal initial MRI findings, further investigation with PCR of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) revealed the pre [...]

by Ramin Raoufinia  , Saleh Hashemi  , Kimia Arabi  , Karim Naghipoor  , Farhad Fakoor  and Ehsan Saburi

Received: 20 October 2024;  Published: 02 April 2025;  doi: 10.21926/obm.transplant.2502245

In orthopedics and oncology, benign and malignant bone lesions pose significant clinical challenges. Malignant tumors, like osteosarcomas and multiple myeloma, pose substantial health dangers and can spread common and mostly non-life-threatening benign lesions, including non-sizing fibromas and unicameral bone cysts. Treatment plans for bone lesions may involve radiation, chemotherapy, and surgical excision, depending on their type. Combining stem cell research, bioactive materials, and advanced scaffold design, cu [...]

by Ibrahim Nahit Sendur  , Büsra Köksoy  and Yasemin H. Balaban

Received: 11 November 2024;  Published: 01 April 2025;  doi: 10.21926/obm.transplant.2502244

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) remains a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in solid organ transplant (SOT) recipients. Despite advancements in prophylaxis and antiviral therapy, CMV continues to pose clinical challenges in transplant medicine. This review provides a comprehensive overview of CMV, exploring its pathophysiology, epidemiology, and clinical presentation in SOT patients, in whom CMV infection can lead to direct organ involvement and systemic symptoms. Additionally, CMV has indirect effects, including [...]

by Alan M Iwahashi  , Samantha H Garvanovic  , Uoo R Kim  and Melissa D McCabe

Received: 29 August 2024;  Published: 20 March 2025;  doi: 10.21926/obm.transplant.2501243

Spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) accounts for one-third of all peripartum myocardial infarction. Peripartum SCAD is associated with increased severity. We surmise that altered maternal cardiac physiology increases susceptibility to SCAD and warrants consideration when managing cardiac ischemia. One week after vaginal delivery, a 35-year-old woman with no known medical history developed multivessel SCAD and cardiogenic shock after attempted percutaneous coronary intervention, requiring rescue CABG and p [...]

by Koji Kawago  , John A Farag  , Yujiro Kawai  , Umayr Syed  , Eric Pfrender  , Satoshi Miyairi  and Yasuhiro Shudo

Received: 21 October 2024;  Published: 14 March 2025;  doi: 10.21926/obm.transplant.2501242

Heterotopic heart transplantation (HHT) in rats is a valuable tool for cardiac transplantation research. While abdominal HHT has been established in rats for nearly 90 years, novel approaches involving cervical and femoral techniques have also been explored. The abdominal HHT model, despite its long history, is technically demanding and has a steep learning curve. In contrast, the cervical HHT model enables surgeons with more basic microsurgical skills to achieve competency more quickly while producing comparable o [...]

by Ajay Kumar  and Juveriya Israr

Received: 03 August 2024;  Published: 12 March 2025;  doi: 10.21926/obm.transplant.2501241

Allogeneic stem cell transplantation (allo-SCT) improves the treatment of hematopoietic cancer and non-malignant disease. In this case, stem cells from a genetically similar but not identical donor may stimulate immune-mediated tumor cell destruction. Allogeneic stem cell transplantation, or allo-SCT, has significantly extended the life expectancy of numerous people. Nevertheless, complications such as infections, graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), and recurrence continue. This paper provides a thorough analysis of [...]

by Jessica Palacios  , Odin Ramírez-Fernández  and Esmeralda Zuñiga-Aguilar

Received: 22 August 2024;  Published: 07 March 2025;  doi: 10.21926/obm.transplant.2501240

Tissue engineering offers alternatives when it comes to health problems such as trauma or pathologies. One of them is the scaffolds, which provide a favorable architecture, mechanics, and biocompatibility for the fixation of cells. Therefore, the following research aims to design and simulate scaffolds with mixed geometric structures to create a hybrid architecture for osseointegration while maintaining structural properties similar to subchondral bone and hyaline cartilage. Three scaffolds were designed for this p [...]

by Esra Pehlivan

Received: 11 December 2024;  Published: 03 March 2025;  doi: 10.21926/obm.transplant.2501239

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a genetic disorder that significantly impacts respiratory function, leading to progressive lung damage and ultimately respiratory failure. Lung transplantation (LTx) is a critical intervention for CF patients with end-stage lung disease, offering improved survival and quality of life. Pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) plays a pivotal role both preoperatively and postoperatively in optimizing outcomes for LTx candidates and recipients. Pre-transplant PR interventions, including exercise programs, [...]

by Maria V. Fonseca Bauza  , Aimee H. Dubin  , Chris B. Agala  , Alexander H. Toledo  , Kristen R. Szempruch  , David A. Gerber  and Pablo Serrano Rodriguez

Received: 06 December 2024;  Published: 27 February 2025;  doi: 10.21926/obm.transplant.2501238

To evaluate the bleeding risk associated with anticoagulation (AC) in kidney transplant patients with post-operative atrial fibrillation (AF). We conducted a retrospective analysis of all adult kidney transplant recipients performed from October 2012 to February 2019 at our institution, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, which accounted for 428 transplants. Variables assessed included AF occurrence, AC use, bleeding complications, stroke and bleeding risk stratification in AF (determined using CHA2DS2 [...]

by Ahmad R. Alsayed  and Yazan Alsayed

Received: 26 August 2024;  Published: 25 February 2025;  doi: 10.21926/obm.transplant.2501237

This study was designed to investigate the ability of telemonitoring involving a secure electronic database called “Alsayed System for Applied Medical-Care Improvement” (ASAMI) to detect at least 95% of acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD). This prospective observational study, which took place over 16 months in 2022-2023, was based at a medical center in Jordan. The study group participants were patients with COPD (from seven countries) with mixed levels of airflow limitation sever [...]

by Juveriya Israr  and Ajay Kumar

Received: 03 August 2024;  Published: 24 February 2025;  doi: 10.21926/obm.transplant.2501236

COVID-19 has presented considerable health hazards, particularly for immunocompromised persons, such as kidney transplant recipients. This population experiences increased susceptibility due to the immunosuppressive treatments necessary to avert organ rejection, potentially resulting in a diminished immune response to immunizations. The implementation of COVID-19 vaccinations has been essential in alleviating these dangers. Studies demonstrate differing levels of vaccine efficacy among kidney transplant recipients, [...]