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Transplant News

September, 2013

September 13, 2013
The AST recently provided the OPTN with comments on the plain language policy rewrite. View the comments here.
September 04, 2013
This extensive three-day course focuses on non-clinical, early clinical, and phase 3 studies, issues in the design and analysis of trials, safety and ethical considerations and FDA's regulatory requirements related to the performance and evaluation of clinical studies. Attendees have the unique opportunity of hearing directly from FDA’s nationally renowned experts on issues critical to successful clinical research. The course is designed for physicians, nurses, pharmacists and other health care professionals involved in clinical trials. November 12-14, 2013 College Park, MD For more... Read More...

August, 2013

August 26, 2013
Repopulation of the immunosuppressed retrorsine-treated infant rat liver with human hepatocytes Xenotransplantation (login required) Humanized chimeric mice have been generated by transplanting h-hepatocytes into the livers of the diseased-liver transgenic mouse model with immunodeficient background. These mice with livers mostly replaced by human (h) hepatocytes have been proved to be useful for research on drug metabolism and toxicity and on intrahepatic pathogens such as hepatitis. However, their small body size prohibited collecting sufficient biological samples and made surgical... Read More...
August 26, 2013
When: Monday, Sept. 16,1-5:30 p.m.; and Tuesday, Sept. 17, 8 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Where: Sheraton Pentagon City Hotel, 900 South Orme Street, Arlington, VA Register here! This meeting allows members of the DTCP to come together to identify challenges that the community has identified related to donor management research. Participants will work toward consensus on issues related to donors, identify issues related to informed consent in the recipient, recognize and address informed consent issues regarding the effect of research on... Read More...
August 15, 2013
AST Members Your 2014 membership dues must be paid in full by March 1, 2014 in order to receive the member-discounted registration rates for the World Transplant Congress (WTC). No exceptions will be made. Non-Members If you are not a member of AST and wish to receive the member-discounted registration rate to the WTC, you must submit your application for membership by January 15, 2014. Late submissions will not be accepted. If your membership is approved, your dues must be paid by March 1, 2014. Please contact AST Member Services with any questions... Read More...
August 14, 2013
URGE YOUR MEMBERS OF CONGRESS TODAY TO SUPPORT ROBUST FEDERAL FUNDING FOR NIH AND MEDICAL RESEARCH As Members of Congress have embarked on a month long August recess period back in their home States and Congressional Districts, it is imperative that they continue to hear from their constituent AST members regarding the unfinished and inadequate approach that Congress has taken thus far with regard to NIH and medical research funding in FY 2014. As you know, AST's Public Policy Committee and Wash, DC Government Relations office continue to meet daily with Congressional decision-makers on... Read More...
August 13, 2013
To: primary program administrators, primary physicians, primary surgeons, primary data coordinators, OPTN representatives, and transplant program directors. Beginning in August, UNOS Data Quality will introduce a new process for verifying with transplant programs the current status (living or dead) of certain candidates waitlisted and recipients transplanted and/or followed post-transplant at the transplant program. This process will involve use of data from other sources to supplement patient status information known to the transplant program. Information in some of these sources must be... Read More...
August 12, 2013
On July 11th, AST, ASTS, and UNOS were informed by CMS in a teleconference that they are initiating a pilot program called Focused Quality Assessment and Performance Improvement (FQAPI). This new survey strategy will be rolled out starting on Monday, July 15th, and we're told would involve 10 programs initially. It will follow the standard practice of unannounced notice to selected centers. The CMS official assured us that this start would be a pilot and that there would be no citations or 2567's issued in response to the results. The results will be carefully reviewed internally to address... Read More...
August 09, 2013
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently approved the New Drug Application (NDA) for ASTAGRAF XL™ (tacrolimus extended-release capsules) for the prophylaxis of organ rejection in patients receiving a kidney transplant with mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) and corticosteroids, with or without basiliximab induction. The full press release can be read here.
August 06, 2013
The letter below was organized by the American Society of Transplantation (AST) and the National Kidney Foundation (NKF) to all members of the House Energy & Commerce Committee. The letter was signed by 11 of the transplant stakeholder national organizations and was delivered to Capitol Hill. Dear Energy and Commerce Committee Members, As the national stakeholder organizations representing transplant patients, candidates for transplant, and professionals engaged in organ donation and transplantation, we respectively request you co-sponsor H.R. 1428, the Comprehensive Immunosuppressive... Read More...

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