7:00 a.m.

Registration and Continental Breakfast

8:00 a.m.

Welcome and Opening Remarks

8:15 a.m.

Current Approaches to Intestinal Failure, David F. Mercer, MD, PhD, FRCS(C), FACS, University of Nebraska Medical Center

Intestinal failure is a debilitating condition that presents both acute and chronic medical management challenges. The condition requires specialized and individualized medical therapy to sustain life. Intestinal rehabilitation programs provide the complex care needed to achieve enteral autonomy and oral feeding with or without intestinal transplantation. This session will review the current medical and surgical techniques for managing intestinal failure, as well as provide a financial analysis for different treatment options. 

Learning objectives:

1. Discuss both medical and surgical current, cutting-edge techniques for intestinal failure.
2. Compare and contrast the financial analysis for different available treatment options.
3. Explain the complexities and treatment of intestinal failure.

9:15 a.m.

Frailty in Transplantation, Michelle James, MS, RN, CNS, CCTN, and Michael Petty, PhD, RN, APRN-CNS, University of Minnesota Health

Frailty is characterized as an increased vulnerability to stressors with a decline in reserve and function of multiple physiologic systems. This can impact organ transplantation with patient selection, waitlist management and treatment after transplantation. This session will describe the role of frailty in risk assessment and evaluation, as well as the effects on outcomes and recovery after transplantation.

Learning objectives:

1. Define frailty and its physiologic effects.
2. Describe the role of frailty in risk assessment, evaluation, and patient selection, as well as its effects on outcomes and recovery after transplantation.
3. Discuss the impact of frailty on transplant waitlist management and posttransplant treatment.

10:00 a.m.

Break

10:15 a.m.

Transplantation with Low-Listing MELD Scores, Richard K. Gilroy, MD, Intermountain Medical Center

Individuals with low-listing MELD (Model for End-Stage Liver Disease) scores remain at significant risk for death due to liver-related causes and may benefit from early access to transplantation. The current organ allocation model is designed to capture the severity of liver disease, but it is increasingly recognized that factors beyond the MELD also influence waitlist outcomes, mortality, and perioperative risk. This session will identify predictive factors for these outcomes that may allow for earlier transplantation.

Learning objectives:

1. Describe the current organ allocation model for liver transplant.
2. Identify predictive factors that influence waitlist outcomes, mortality and perioperative risk.
3. Explore transplantation with low-listing MELD scores.
4. Recognize ethical issues surrounding the waitlist and low-listing MELD scores.

11:00 a.m.

Cardiac Surgery in Patients with End-Stage Liver Disease, Gennaro Selvaggi, MD, FACS, Miami Transplant Institute

Improvements in surgical techniques have made liver transplantation a viable option for older individuals who may also have cardiovascular disease, but those requiring coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) can also experience a rapid decline in liver function during the procedure. This session will discuss the combined procedure of CABG-liver transplant and the associated barriers for individuals with liver failure and coronary artery disease.

Learning objectives:

1. Discuss the combined procedure of CABG-liver transplant for individuals with liver failure and coronary artery disease.
2. Explore the barriers associated with the combined procedure of CABG-liver transplant.

12:00 p.m.

Luncheon Presentation — An Overview of Optum, Roger Shedlin, MD, JD, Chief Executive Officer, and Jon Friedman, MD, FAST, Chief Medical Officer, Optum Medical Benefit Management (nonaccredited/optional; lunch provided)

1:00 p.m.

Exhibit Hall Grand Opening Dessert Reception

1:30 p.m.

Applying Genomics in Transplantation, Brendan J. Keating, PhD, University of Pennsylvania

In the era of the human genome, thousands of biomarkers can be identified. With the life-and-death nature of end-stage organ failure that transplantation treats, the severe donor-organ shortage, and the powerful drug therapies required for the lifetimes of transplant patients, there is a future for biomarkers as tools to diagnose disease in its early stages, predict prognosis, suggest treatment options, and then assist in the implementation of therapies. This session will discuss key advances in genomics that are relevant for diagnoses and prediction of transplant outcomes.

Learning objectives:

1. State key advances in genomics that are relevant for transplant outcomes.
2. Identify genetic variants that can predict adverse outcomes in transplantation.

2:30 p.m.

Transplantation for Acute Liver Failure, Anil Seetharam, MD, Banner Health

Severe liver failure is associated with high mortality. Consequently, there is a clear need for a liver-support system to provide a “bridge” to a final treatment. Finding therapeutic alternatives for those who are waiting for a new organ (bridge-to-transplant) or who are not candidates for transplantation but for whom recovery is considered possible (bridge-to-recovery) would benefit these patients. This session will discuss the outcomes of liver transplantation as well as the use of artificial liver support systems in the management of acute liver failure.

Learning objectives:

1. Discuss the epidemiology and outcomes of liver transplantation for acute liver failure.
2. Describe strategies employed by intensive care units to bridge candidates to liver transplantation in acute liver failure.
3. Discuss outcomes associated with use of artificial-liver-support systems.
4. Recognize unique issues in the multidisciplinary evaluation of the acute liver-failure-transplant candidate.

3:15 p.m.

Break

3:30 p.m.

Growing Challenges in Heart Transplantation, Radha Gopalan, MD, FACC, Banner Health

Heart transplantation (HTx) has become standard treatment for selected patients with end-stage heart failure. Improvements in immunosuppression, donor procurement, surgical techniques, and post-HTx care have resulted in successful outcomes. However, there are limitations that continue to challenge HTx. This session will highlight the growing challenges in HTx and explain the current HTx allocation policy, ways to provide a more equitable distribution of organs to expand the donor pool, and to improve quality of life and survival for HTx recipients.

Learning objectives:

1. Highlight the growing challenges in HTx.
2. Describe the current HTx allocation policy and ways to provide a more equitable distribution of organs to expand the donor pool.
3. Identify ethical considerations surrounding the current HTx allocation policy and equitable distribution.

4:15 p.m.

Current Status on Predicting, Inducing and Monitoring Graft Tolerance in Kidney Transplantation, Joseph R. Leventhal, MD, PhD, Northwestern Medicine 

Patients who receive a kidney transplant are committed to lifelong systemic immunosuppressive therapy, which can be associated with long-term and serious complications. Thus, achieving graft tolerance is the “Holy Grail” of kidney transplantation. Evidence suggests that hematopoietic chimerism via combined bone marrow and kidney transplantation may be a safe and feasible approach for inducing tolerance in kidney transplant recipients. In addition, recently identified biomarkers that can detect tolerant or nearly tolerant patients have the potential to guide decisions on minimizing or discontinuing immunosuppression. Other novel biomarkers can be used to monitor transplant patients for acute and chronic rejection, as well as predict the risk of rejection. This presentation will review emerging strategies to predict, induce and monitor graft tolerance in kidney transplantation.

Learning objectives:

1. Discuss the current status of combined bone marrow and kidney transplantation as a strategy to induce graft tolerance in kidney transplant recipients.
2. Review novel biomarkers that can identify tolerant or nearly tolerant patients, monitor for acute and chronic rejection, and predict the risk of rejection.
3. Identify the patients that would benefit most from a tolerance protocol, as well as those that are at greatest risk for complications.

5:00–6:30 p.m.

Complimentary Get-Acquainted Reception — Exhibits Open
Join your colleagues for hors d’oeuvres and beverages. You won’t want to miss this opportunity to gather information and ideas from exhibitors regarding the management of complex medical conditions.

7:00 a.m.

Registration and Continental Breakfast — Exhibits Open

8:00 a.m.

Opening Remarks

8:15 a.m.

In Search for a Cure for Sickle Cell Disease, Joseph Rosenthal, MD, City of Hope

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a painful and often fatal inherited condition that affects millions worldwide. Currently, there are few FDA-approved medications to lessen disease severity, and a definitive cure available to all patients with SCD is lacking. Recent discovery of CRISPR/Cas9—which is short for clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats and CRISPR-associated protein 9—has not only revolutionized genome engineering, but has also brought the possibility of translating these concepts into a clinically meaningful reality and offers future perspectives of CRISPR/Cas9 as a curative option for SCD. This session will review the developments in gene therapy for SCD, including CRISPR-Cas9, as well as the evolving role of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HCT).

Learning objectives:

1. Explore current and emerging treatment options for sickle cell disease, including gene therapies and HCT.
2. Explain how CRISPR-Cas9 is being used to treat SCD.

9:15 a.m.

Pediatric Cancer Survivorship, Matthew Ehrhardt, MD, MS, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital

Childhood cancer survivors are at increased risk for long-term health problems, such as pulmonary disease, reproductive issues, and second primary neoplasms. By 45 years of age, more than 95 percent of childhood cancer survivors have a chronic health condition, and 80 percent have a serious or disabling chronic condition. In addition, the transition from oncology providers to community providers for long-term care is often fragmented and incomplete. This presentation will discuss the monitoring, prevention, and management of long-term health conditions in childhood cancer survivors and strategies to optimize their long-term care.

Learning objectives:

1. Discuss the long-term health conditions commonly experienced by survivors of childhood cancer.
2. Review measures for the monitoring, prevention, and management of long-term health conditions in childhood cancer survivors.
3. Explore strategies to facilitate collaborative long-term, interdisciplinary care for survivors of childhood cancer.

10:00 a.m.

Break — Exhibits Open

10:45 a.m.

New Models for Delivering Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation, Nelson J. Chao, MD, MBA, Duke University

HCT patients are at prolonged vulnerability to infections, and hospitalization can expose these individuals to an increased risk to nosocomial infections. Patient-centered home transplant (PCHT) is a novel alternative that may improve patient safety, clinical efficacy, and provide value to these individuals. By allowing them to stay at home, PCHT may reduce exposure to hospital pathogens, decreasing nosocomial infections. PCHT may also promote independence and improve quality of life by allowing greater access to nutrition, exercise, and social support. This session will discuss the safety of this approach by assessing treatment-related mortality and adverse events. It will also compare the clinical outcomes—including infections, survival, and quality of life—of in-home stem-cell treatments to those done in the hospital setting.

Learning objectives:

1. Compare the clinical outcomes, including infections, survival, and quality of life, of in-home stem-cell treatments to those done in the hospital setting.
2. Evaluate and assess the safety of patient-centered home transplant, including treatment-related mortality and adverse events.

11:45 a.m.

Infectious Complications After CAR T-cell Therapy, Joshua A. Hill, MD, University of Washington Medical Center, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center

The use of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell immunotherapy for malignancy and other diagnoses is increasing rapidly. However, many patients receiving this therapy are at high risk for infections. Understanding the type and timing of infections and the contributing risk factors could help with prophylactic and monitoring strategies to improve outcomes. This session will discuss risk factors, long-term side effects and survivorship outcomes.

Learning objectives:

1. State the role of CAR T-cell immunotherapy for the treatment of malignancies.
2. Discuss the type and timing of infections that are likely to occur after CAR T-cell therapy.
3. Describe risk factors, long-term side effects and survivorship outcomes of CAR T-cell therapy.

12:45 p.m.

Lunch (provided)

1:30 p.m.

Update on GVHD Therapies: Acute and Chronic, Daanish Hoda, MD, Intermountain Healthcare

Acute and chronic graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) are multisystem disorders that are common complications of allogeneic HCT. Despite the use of prophylactic GVHD regimens, a significant proportion of transplant recipients will develop acute or chronic GVHD following HCT. Currently, there is a need for the development of more-effective therapeutics for this morbid complication of transplantation. This session will discuss novel therapies for acute and chronic GVHD that have shown promising results in early phase studies and compare them with currently available therapies.

Learning objectives:

1. Discuss novel therapies for acute and chronic GVHD that have shown promising results in early phase studies.
2. Compare current therapies for acute and chronic GVHD with upcoming therapies that show promising results.

2:30 p.m.

New Therapies for Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML), Nandita Khera, MD, MPH, Mayo Clinic

There has been great progress in understanding how changes in the DNA (genes) inside normal bone marrow cells can cause them to develop into leukemia cells. Identifying different gene changes that affect how leukemia will progress can help determine which treatments might be most helpful. This session will describe how these changes are used to determine treatment options to help maximize successful outcomes. New targeted therapies to treat AML will also be discussed.

Learning objectives:

1. Discuss current targeted therapies to treat AML.
2. Identify genetic mutations that inform AML prognosis and guide treatment selection.

3:30 p.m.

Adjourn