The 2011 AST Annual Scientific Exchange took place December 1-4 at the Marriott Rivercenter in San Antonio, Texas. Nearly 200 junior and senior transplant professionals gathered for a unique and stimulating educational experience. Throughout the entire meeting, what made this meeting so special were the expert commentaries following exciting talks and the many insightful questions from the audience. Unlike big meetings where schedules are inflexible, each session was tailored to the amount of time the audience needed to ask questions and really understand the points. Even in the Learning Pavilion, where attendees gathered during the breaks to meet with exhibitors, conversations continued related to the topics just presented in the previous session. ASE allowed those in attendance to interact with each other in a way that isn’t normally possible at larger meetings, and the response was overwhelmingly positive. So at this meeting, the fact that no sessions ended "on time" was a good thing.
The meeting began with a keynote presentation on Thursday evening from Dr. Ignacio Sanz from the University of Rochester. Dr. Sanz, whose long-term research interests center on understanding the diversity and function of human B cells and the regulation of B cell tolerance, presented “New Approaches to Targeting B Cell Subsets in Human Autoimmune Disease”. Dr. Sanz addressed the targeted depletion of various B cell subpopulations in humans and the ramifications of such therapy in autoimmune disease. The keynote was followed by the first of 10 oral abstract sessions throughout the meeting. The first day concluded with a unique poster session where two expert faculty gave feedback directly to the authors in their groups; attendees were welcomed to listen in on the discussion.
Day two heavily featured oral plenary exchange sessions, and each session concluded with an “Expert Commentary” that identified the clinical implications of basic science presentations, and vice versa. The audience was also fortunate to hear two special lectures: a moving tribute to well-known mentor Bernie Carpenter by Dan Salomon, and an update on healthcare policy from David Cohen. On Friday evening, attendees enjoyed small group discussions led by experts in a speed dating-like format.
Saturday’s agenda alternated between oral plenary exchange sessions and two special topic symposia (personalized management and artificial organs). A lively debate ended the day, with Dorry Segev and Rosamond Rhodes squaring off on the issue of paying for organs. While neither Dorry (against) nor Rosamond (pro) came out as a clear winner, there was certainly lively discussion in the audience following the debate. Sunday concluded with the last special topic symposium (resuscitation of marginal organs) and the final oral plenary exchange.
AST thanks all those who attended and presented, as well as the sponsors and exhibitors.
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