Episode 22: Behind-the-Paper - The Inaugural Richard Slayman International Workshop on Xenotransplantation

In this Behind the Paper episode, Macey Levan, MD and Leonardo V. Riella, MD discuss the key insights from: 📄 Advancing Hope Through Science: The Inaugural Richard Slayman International Workshop on Xenotransplantation Meeting Report – Published in *Transplantation* (February 2026) This landmark workshop brought together more than 140 participants from North America, Europe, and Asia to examine the latest advances—and the remaining challenges—in translating xenotransplantation from bench to bedside. Framed by the legacy of Richard Slayman, the first living recipient of a genetically edited pig kidney, this conversation explores how patient courage, scientific collaboration, and careful clinical design are helping move the field from possibility toward reality. The episode highlights: 🔹 Why patient selection is critical in early xenotransplantation trials 🔹 How genetic editing is helping overcome immune incompatibility 🔹 The evolving role of immunosuppression, including complement inhibition and CD154 blockade 🔹 New molecular tools for immune and infectious surveillance 🔹 The importance of transparency, ethics, and global collaboration 🔹 What the next 5–10 years may look like for kidney xenotransplantation This discussion offers an important look at one of the most promising and complex frontiers in transplantation—where innovation, safety, and patient-centered care must advance together. 📖 Read the full paper: https://journals.lww.com/transplantjournal/fulltext/9900/advancing_hope_through_science__the_inaugural.1314.aspx