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Plenary IV: Advances in Transplanting Sensitized Patients

Thursday, October 9, 2025
4:15 PM - 5:45 PM US EDT
Location: Grand Cypress D - F
CE: .23 CEC / 1.5 CME

    Speaker(s)

  • Marlena Habal, MD

    Assistant Professor Of Medicine
    NYU Grossman School of Medicine
    New York, NY

  • E. Steve Woodle, MD

    Professor of Surgery with Tenure, Co Director, Center for Transplant Immunology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center
    University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center
    Liberty Township, OH

  • Ashley Vo, PharmD, FAST

    Director, Transplant Immunotherapy Program
    Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
    Los Angeles, California

    • Moderator(s)

  • Alison Gareau, MSc, PhD, F(ACHI)

    Director, HLA Laboratory
    University of Madison, Wisconsin
    Madison, WI

  • Ina Skaljic, PhD, F(ACHI) (she/her/hers)

    Co-Director Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics Laboratory
    Rush University Medical Center
    Chicago, Illinois

Finding suitable donors for highly sensitized patients remains a significant challenge within solid organ transplantation. The number of immunologic therapies that target the production of HLA antibodies has greatly expanded in recent years. This session will provide an up-to-date view of the mechanisms by which HLA antibody is produced by plasma cells as well as state-of-the-art approaches to the desensitization of kidney and heart transplant patients.

To learn more please click here.

Learning Objectives:

  1. Finding suitable donors for highly sensitized patients remains a significant challenge within solid organ transplantation. The number of immunologic therapies that target the production of HLA antibodies has greatly expanded in recent years. This session will provide an up-to-date view of the mechanisms by which HLA antibody is produced by plasma cells as well as state-of-the-art approaches to the desensitization of kidney and heart transplant patients.
  2. Understand the main therapeutics that are currently used to desensitize solid organ transplant patients.
  3. Learn about therapies that are in clinical development for desensitization of kidney and heart transplant patients.
Finding suitable donors for highly sensitized patients remains a significant challenge within solid organ transplantation. The number of immunologic therapies that target the production of HLA antibodies has greatly expanded in recent years. This session will provide an up-to-date view of the mechanisms by which HLA antibody is produced by plasma cells as well as state-of-the-art approaches to the desensitization of kidney and heart transplant patients.

Presentations:

  • 4:15 PM - 4:45 PM US EDT
    Desensitization and Alloreactive B cells in Transplantation

    Speaker: Marlena Habal, MD – NYU Grossman School of Medicine

  • 4:45 PM - 5:15 PM US EDT
    Exploiting Plasma Cell Biology to Deconstruct Humoral Responses

    Speaker: E. Steve Woodle, MD – University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center

  • 5:15 PM - 5:45 PM US EDT
    Emerging Therapeutics Targeting Plasma Cell Directed Therapies for Desensitization

    Speaker: Ashley Vo, PharmD, FAST – Cedars-Sinai Medical Center