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The Whole Liver Replacement State-of-the-Science Summit

This event is being coordinated by Solving Organ Shortage (SOS), a non-profit whose mission is to promote a unifying vision to solve the organ shortage through close scientific collaboration and inspired public policy.

Organ transplantation research is shifting away from immunosuppressive regimens and tolerance induction toward technology that uses a patient’s own cells to engineer a replacement organ. On April 29 and 30, 2014, in Chicago, Illinois, the world's leading clinical-based experts in liver biology, regeneration, and tissue engineering will convene to launch a transdisciplinary, science-driven effort to engineer a human liver.

McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine affiliated faculty member Alejandro Soto-Gutiérrez, MD, PhD , Assistant Professor in the Department of Pathology at the University of Pittsburgh and an affiliated faculty member of the Thomas E. Starzl Transplantation Institute, is a co-facilitator for the inaugural State-of-the-Science Summit on Whole Liver Replacement . Along with Dr. Soto-Gutiérrez, the following McGowan Institute faculty members will also participate in the Summit: Ira Fox, MD , Eric Lagasse, PharmD, PhD , and William Wagner, PhD .

This event is being coordinated by Solving Organ Shortage (SOS) a non-profit whose mission is to promote a unifying vision to solve the organ shortage through close scientific collaboration and inspired public policy. The focus of SOS Summits is to foster cooperative relationships that lead to the formation of transdisciplinary research consortiums. The McGowan Institute is a supporter of this event.

The prospect of engineering whole organs for human transplantation is exciting. But, it’s a long-term strategy that will require a new level of scientific collaboration and funding resourcefulness. SOS intends to add its energies to the broad-based constituency of organizations already working to ensure life-saving organs are readily available.

Registration is still available for Day 1: Summit Kickoff Conversation. Information is available at WholeOrgan.org .