Martine Aliana Rothblatt (born 1954) is an American lawyer, author, and entrepreneur. She founded United Therapeutics in 1996, to make medicines for her daughter who suffered from pulmonary arterial hypertension, and is now developing genetically modified pig organs for human transplant. On the latter topic she has written a book titled “Your life or mine […]
This review covers the full clinical picture of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) — from its pathophysiology and diagnosis through to current and emerging treatments. Understanding the Disease Pulmonary arterial hypertension is driven by progressive structural remodelling of the pulmonary arteries, creating a vicious cycle of vasoconstriction, inflammation, and uncontrolled cell growth that ultimately leads to
Not to be missed! This live webinar organised by the European Society for Organ Transplant aims to provide an update on the burden of Chronic Lung Allograft Dysfunction (CLAD), emphasizing the patient’s perspective and most important challenges living with CLAD. The webinar will cover respiratory rehabilitation and palliative care measures, including the non-pharmacological and symptomatic
The Lung Transplant Foundation has assembled a panel of long-term lung transplant survivors (20+ years) who share what life has been like in the decades following their successful lung transplant. This panel is a celebration of all that is possible when we say “yes” to lung transplant. 🗓️ Mark the date: January 16, 2026🕰️ 7
On October 11, 2025, the Alliance for Pulmonary Hypertension launched the inspiring “Wheels of Hope” campaign, following Czech cyclist and chef Lukáš Jakovec as he embarked on an extraordinary journey across Europe to raise awareness about organ donation and transplantation—all while cycling through some of Europe’s most challenging terrain. Key Numbers Route Highlights Starting from
Tacrolimus (FK506), discovered in 1984 from Japanese soil fungus, revolutionized organ transplantation. Dr. Thomas Starzl’s pioneering work at the University of Pittsburgh demonstrated dramatic improvements over cyclosporine: liver graft survival increased from 65.5% to 86.2%, with rejection rates dropping to 1-2%. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval followed for liver (1994), kidney (1997), and
Pulmonary arterial hypertension patients face unique challenges in lung transplantation. Unlike patients with other lung diseases, they often have relatively normal lung function tests but are in critical condition due to heart failure. This means they receive low priority scores in the standard Lung Allocation Score (LAS) system, which was designed primarily for patients with
A modified Delphi consensus was conducted by the Pulmonary Vascular Research Institute (PVRI) Lung Transplantation Workstream, involving 29 international experts on pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and lung transplantation. The process generated consensus ( mean scores >_2.5 on Likert scale ) across 141 out of 223 statements relating to when to refer pulmonary arterial hypertension patients
The Council of Europe’s EDQM (European Directorate for the Quality of Medicines and HealthCare) Newsletter Transplant provides regular updates on transplantation-related developments across Europe. It covers policy, regulation, quality standards, and best practices related to organ donation, allocation, and transplant safety, ensuring harmonisation across European Union member states. Additionally, the newsletter shares news on scientific
Tacrolimus therapeutic drug monitoring is challenging due to high inter- and intra-patient variability. A prospective randomized controlled trial was conducted by researchers at the University Hospital in Leuven, Belgium, on 293 de novo kidney transplant recipients during the first 14 days post-transplant. A fully automated Model-informed precision dosing (MIPD) application (1) was integrated into the
On October 11, the European Directorate for the Quality of Medicines & HealthCare (EDQM), Council of Europe European Donation Day, the Alliance for Pulmonary Hypertension launched a campaign to to honour donors and their families, to celebrate life after transplant, and to call for greater awareness of the urgent need for organ donation. The six
Introduction: A Mission on Two Wheels On October 11, 2025—European Donation Day, organised yearly by the the Council of Europe—the Alliance for Pulmonary Hypertension launched “Wheels of Hope,” an extraordinary campaign that combines athletic endurance, culinary culture, and life-saving advocacy. Czech chef and athlete Lukáš Jakovec embarked on a 9-month cycling journey from Udine, Italy,
A newly published review in Transplantation Direct explores the growing significance ofextracorporeal photopheresis (ECP), a therapy that modulates immune responses usingpatients’ own treated blood cells. The article, authored by Panagiotis Parsonidis, MSc, and Prof. Thomas Wekerle of the Medical University of Vienna, Austria, highlights extracorporeal photopheresis’s established safety record while pointing to future opportunities for
Researchers may have found a way to predict which lung transplant patients will develop serious complications before symptoms appear. In a study titled “Increase in Alveolar Septal Width Is a Histological Predictor of Chronic Lung Allograft Dysfunction and Survival in Lung Transplant Recipients—A Longitudinal Study” the authors measure the thickness of air sac walls in lung
What is pulmonary arterial hypertension and why does risk assessment matter? Pulmonary arterial hypertension is a rare, serious disease where the blood vessels in thelungs become too narrow. This makes the right side of the heart work harder, which overtime can lead to heart failure. Because it can progress quickly, doctors use risk assessment (sometimes
Maggy Surace is the President of the French Pulmonary Hypertension Association HTaPFrance and a double lung transplant recipient. She was among the 1,513 athletes from 50 different countries participating in the World Transplant Games in Dresden, Germany on August 17-24, 2025. Maggy trained for over 4 months for the swimming and athletics events. She left
The World Transplant Games are a remarkable international multisport event that brings together transplant recipients, living donors, donor families, supporters and friends to celebrate the Gift of Life and show the positive impact of organ donation. The games span seven days, featuring a program of both high-exertion and low-impact sports, with 2,500 participants, families, and
The World Transplant Games 2025, August 17-24 2025, Dresden, Germany Read Post »
Anna Jeter, is an artist, writer and photographer living in Excelsior, Minnesota, USA. She was diagnosed with pulmonary arterial hypertension at the age of 4 but only received a heart-lung transplant 19 years later, in 2018. In a recent article for Pulmonary Hypertension News she expresses gratitude for surviving long enough to receive the transplant
Terumo, a leading medical technology company based in Japan, has announced a definitive agreement to acquire all outstanding shares of OrganOx, for approximately $1.5 billion. OrganOx specializes in advanced organ preservation devices using Normothermic Machine Perfusion technology, which preserves organs longer by circulating oxygen and nutrient-rich fluids through organs at near-body temperature. This technology enables
On BBC News on 22 August 2025, Emma Stanley tells the incredible story of Catherine Makin, a double lung transplant patient. Catherine Makin, 42, a National Health Service (NHS) clerical worker from Great Harwood, Lancashire, has won 10 medals in swimming and table tennis at the British Transplant Games after receiving a double lung transplant
