Cellular and Molecular Mechanisms of Chronic Rejection in Organ Transplantation (Results and Problems in Cell Differentiation, 77)

Despite improvements in antirejection therapies, solid organ transplantation is hampered by chronic rejection, with around 70% of transplants being rejected within 10 years post-transplantation. Given the growing number of transplant candidates and the shortage of organ donors, finding a cure for chronic rejection is a priority in transplantation. Although chronic rejection studies have increased our knowledge of the subject over the years, the cellular and molecular processes involved in chronic rejection are still not fully understood.

This volume covers the molecular and cellular aspects of the chronic rejection of both solid and composite allografts. It is divided into three parts:

• Part I provides a comprehensive overview and mechanistic understanding of the cellular and molecular pathways underlying chronic rejection, as well as their potential in identifying novel biomarkers and developing targeted anti-chronic rejection strategies.
• Part II focuses on immune cells, non-immune cells, and extracellular molecules in the context of chronic rejection.
• Part III concentrates on shared and organ-specific (liver, face, kidney, lung) features as well as the latest therapeutic approaches in chronic rejection.

The book provides a comprehensive overview of the mechanisms and challenges involved, with the aim of inspiring the development of new therapies for chronic rejection.

Malgorzata Kloc: Prior to completing her postdoctoral training in Canada, Dr. Kloc was a tenured Associate Professor in the Department of Zoology at the University of Warsaw, Poland. She also served as a Research Associate in the Department of Biology at Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada. While completing her postdoctoral training, Dr. Kloc earned the AHFMR Research Award from the University of Calgary and the MRC Biotechnology Training Award from Dalhousie University. She joined the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center as a Research Scientist in the Department of Molecular Genetics in 1987, and became an Associate Professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology there in 2006. Dr. Kloc joined the Houston Methodist Research Institute in 2008. Currently, Dr. Kloc is the Weill Cornell Professor of Cell and Molecular Biology at The Houston Methodist Hospital.

R. Mark Ghobrial, M.D., Ph.D., FACS, FRCS (Ed)
J.C. Walter Jr. Presidential Distinguished Chair
Director, J.C. Walter Jr. Transplant Center of Excellence
Director, Transplantation Research
Chief, Division of Transplantation, Department of Surgery
Professor of Surgery, Weill Cornell Medical College
Full Member, Houston Methodist Institute for Academic Medicine
Past-President, International Liver Transplant Society
Email: rmghobrial[at]houstonmethodist.org

Rafik Mark Ghobrial is a Professor of Surgery at Weill Cornell Medical College, Director of the J.C. Walter Jr. Transplant Center, Houston Methodist, Houston, Texas, and he holds the J.C. Walter Jr. Presidential Distinguished Chair. He obtained his MD from Cairo University and PhD from the University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston, Texas. His medical training was completed at Massachusetts General Hospital, University of Texas Health Science Center, and the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). He is the recipient of multiple awards and honors and was elected to the Fellowship of The Royal College of Surgeons-Edinburgh and the American Surgical Association. As a researcher, he is the recipient of multiple grants and has held NIH sponsored awards in transplant immunology and clinical sciences. He has authored nearly 300 articles, chapters and has lectured widely, both nationally and internationally, on topics related to liver disease and transplantation. Dr. Ghobrial has served on numerous committees and held multiple advisory and leadership roles and is currently the President of the International Liver Transplant Society.