Partner's Blog - December 2021

Thanks for visiting the December 2021 Partner's Blog!

The Corporate Affiliates Program provides an exciting opportunity for companies to support the work of the American Society of Transplantation (AST) and receive tangible benefits throughout the year. The following companies are members of the 2021 Corporate Affiliate Program (CAP):

What's News With Our Partners:

Atara Biotherapeutics, Inc. (@Atarabio) is a leading allogeneic T-cell immunotherapy company leveraging its novel allogeneic Epstein Barr virus (EBV) T-cell platform to develop therapies for patients with serious diseases including solid tumors, hematologic cancers, and autoimmune diseases. Atara’s pipeline includes tabelecleucel in Phase 3 development for EBV-driven post-transplant lymphoproliferative disease (PTLD) and in earlier stages of development for other EBV-associated diseases, ATA188 for progressive forms of multiple sclerosis, and next-generation CAR T therapies for solid tumors and hematologic cancers.
Atara is now enrolling participants in the ALLELE study, a multicenter, open-label, phase 3 study of tabelecleucel for solid organ or allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplant subjects with Epstein-Barr virus-associated post-transplant lymphoproliferative disease (EBV⁺ PTLD) after failure of rituximab or rituximab and chemotherapy. For more information about this study, please visit https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03394365.
Atara is also enrolling participants in the ATA-129-EBV-205 study, an open-label, single-arm, multi-cohort, phase 2 study to assess the efficacy and safety of tabelecleucel in subjects with Epstein-Barr virus-associated diseases. For more information about this study, please visit https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04554914.

Hansa Biopharma continues its development programs in treatments of IgG-mediated diseases. A Phase 2 clinical study on antibody mediated rejection (AMR) progresses as additional sites are initiated. Hansa Biopharma has announced its decision to initiate a pivotal Phase 3 clinical study of imlifidase to treat anti-GBM disease, following a successful pre-IND (Investigational New Drug) meeting with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
US Randomized Controlled Trial (ConfIdeS) in kidney transplant: site initiation is progressing with the first site open for recruitment in San Antonio, TX.
An ESOT workstream is working to advance European consensus clinical guidelines for desensitization practices.
Hansa Biopharma has been awarded the Great Place to Work certification for second consecutive year by the Great Place to Work institute.

Be part of Immucor’s kSORT®clinical studies! Interested in monitoring your transplant patients with kSORT? We are looking for collaborators for our clinical study program! kSORT is a non-invasive gene expression assay that enables enhanced post-transplant surveillance and monitors immune quiescence for transplant patients. It provides the ability for clinicians to assess patients for organ rejection via a simple blood test versus the current standard of care which is an invasive biopsy. kSORT is available exclusively as a Laboratory Developed Test (LDT) through Immucor DX, the company’s CLIA certified and CAP accredited independent clinical laboratory. Visit www.ksort.immucor.com for more information about this exciting opportunity.
Immucor’s next generation of LIFECODES® Non-HLA Antibody kit is available! See beyond the limits of your existing workflow and expand your testing capabilities with Immucor’s Non-HLA Antibody kit. Click here to see our new panel that now includes 28 new antigens for a total of 60! https://view.highspot.com/viewer/5fa955dd8117172260869a7f Join Immucor in a scientific partnership through LEAP, LIFECODES® Early Adopter Program. LEAP gives laboratories access to discounted LIFECODES® Non-HLA kits in exchange for data sharing. Collaborate with us to drive publications using the LIFECODES® Non-HLA Antibody kits!
Immucor is a proud partner and gold sponsor of the 18th International HLA & Immunogenetics Workshop, May 2022 in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. We invite you to participate in the exciting projects that aim to better understand and define HLA epitopes and clinical relevance of non-HLA antibodies in the absence of donor-specific HLA antibodies. Click here for more information: https://view.highspot.com/viewer/6148ea094c07b68e210885ce
Immucor is a preferred partner of PIRCHE! Immucor is committed to uncovering new frontiers in epitope matching. Immucor’s integration tool provides automated data transfer to the PIRCHE matching modules with a simple click of a button! Utilizing the PIRCHE service REST, PIRCHE scores are transferred back to the tool. To learn more about using PIRCHE with Immucor’s MATCH IT! Antibody Software or MIA FORA NGS software or to arrange a demo contact your local Immucor representative or visit us on www.immucor.com.

Check out the latest Prospera with Quantification performance results from the Trifecta Study, the largest prospective multisite fully biopsy-matched study ever performed in the field of dd-cfDNA. Excellent AUC from Prospera with Quantification may eliminate the need to combine DNA and RNA to bolster performance when assessing rejection from nonrejection. (natera.com/prospera-with-quantification)
Watch our Expert Panel review the latest rejection monitoring techniques, including RNA and enhanced dd-cfDNA. (natera.com/prospera-with-quantification). Panelists include,
- Dr. Monica Grafals from the University of Colorado
- Dr. Suphamai Bunnapradist from UCLA
- Dr. Nadia Costa from Georgetown University
- Dr. David Wojciechowski from UT Southwestern
Introducing Prospera Lung: Natera's latest advancement in dd-cfDNA technology has arrived with the Prospera Lung Transplant Assessment Test. Join Medical Director, Dr. David Ross, MD, FCCP, FAST, as he discusses Prospera Lung and the latest clinical validation data. Click Here
In case you missed it: Check out Dr. Shelley Hall, Chief of Transplant Cardiology, Heart Failure & MCS at Baylor Health System, discuss the latest study from Natera, Prospera Test Evaluation in Cardiac Transplant (ProTECT). Click Here

Partnering Together: To Improve the Future of Transplant

For more than 20 years, Sanofi has proudly supported the field of kidney transplantation. At Sanofi, we recognize the power of education and the importance of celebrating diversity.

In support of this mission, we are proud to announce the launch of PartnersInTransplant.com. Here, you will be able to:

Learn more about our engaging peer-to-peer educational programs, focused on critical and timely topics impacting the field of kidney transplant that are developed in partnership with leading experts in transplantation
Access resources to help patients navigate their transplant journey, including Sanofi’s educational program, Kidney Transplant Connectors, developed to empower patients and their caregivers and features stories from kidney donors and recipients.
Find out how Sanofi invests in research to drive transplant innovation for unmet needs.
Explore educational resources that discuss challenges in kidney transplantation and opportunities to improve patients’ lives
Visit PartnersinTransplant.com to learn more
© 2021 sanofi-aventis U.S. LLC. All rights reserved. MAT-US-2109457-v1.0-11/2021

We are excited to announce that Veloxis’ Partner Connect site will be launching mid-December! This site will be a one-stop shop for educational resources including informational webinars and the Kidney Transplant Conversations podcast. You’ll be able to find our page listed here in the coming days!

Additionally, new episodes of the Kidney Transplant Conversations podcast are now available! This podcast is a unique collaboration between kidney transplant providers, recipients, caregivers, advocacy groups, and medical societies. Each episode features diverse voices and experiences related to donating, receiving, and caring for this gift of life.

In Episode 2, you will hear the incredible story of Jose, a kidney transplant recipient, and Xiomara, his wife and donor. Learn about the challenges they experienced in their quest for a kidney transplant and the joy they have felt since then.
In Episode 3, you will learn more about the UNC Chapel Hill Latino Transplant Clinic. Hear from social worker, Daniela Matz, and clinic founder, Dr. Pablo Serrano, as they discuss how they have been able to reduce renal transplant disparities.
In Episode 4, you will hear from Dr. Joyce Trompeta, a Nurse Practitioner specializing in transplantation. She discusses several areas of interest including her concerns about disparities impacting Asian America, Pacific Islander, and Latino populations.

To stay connected, informed, and inspired, listen to Kidney Transplant Conversations here or on any major streaming platform.

Verici Dx and AST have partnered to create a career development grant effective between 2022 and 2023 in honor and recognition of Dr. Barbara T. Murphy and her extraordinary contributions to the field of transplantation. The value of the initial grant is $50,000. The AST will be collecting the applications, with members of the AST Research Network Scientific Review Committee (SRC) choosing the recipient based on a scoring system reviewing the quality of the research. The grant recipient will be recognized during the 2022 American Transplant Congress, held from June 4-7, 2022, in Boston, MA, USA.
AST, ASN, Renalytix and Verici Dx have partnered to create the Dr. Barbara T. Murphy endowed lectureship starting at ASN Kidney Week 2022. This lectureship commemorates Dr. Murphy and her legacy of transplant immunology by recognizing advances in kidney transplantation. Each lecture will focus on kidney risk pre-transplant and transplant care.

Check out all of our CAP partners: