The past, present and future of kidney transplantation. Symposium at MUW

A speaker stands at the lectern, delivering a presentation during a scientific event. On a large screen, graphics and information about the 60th anniversary of kidney transplantation are displayed. Several people are seated in the audience, watching the presentation.

The event was held on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the first successful kidney transplant in Poland. The symposium was attended by outstanding specialists from our university. One of the sessions was devoted to the authors of the success of 60 years ago, Professors Jan Nielubowicz and Tadeusz Orłowski. They were reminisced about by their students and colleagues.

"On January 26, 1966, the first successful kidney transplant was performed in our country by specialists from the Medical Academy in Warsaw – it was a breakthrough in the history of Polish medicine. It marked the beginning of a very dynamic development of transplantology in Poland," pointed out the chairman of the scientific and organizational committee of the conference, Prof. Zbigniew Gałązka, the Head of the Chair and Department of General, Vascular, Endocrine and Transplant Surgery at UCC MUW.

The symposium was organized to commemorate this event, which was important for science, improving patients' lives, and to promote the idea of organ donation and transplantation.

The generation relay in transplantology

As emphasized by the Rector of WUM, Prof. Rafał Krenke, the symposium prompts reflection on the achievements of many generations of the creators of Polish transplantology.

"We owe enormous gratitude and respect to all those who have built the foundations for the development of organ transplantation for years, not only at the Medical University of Warsaw, but throughout Poland and worldwide," emphasized Prof. Rafał Krenke.

When recalling the recent successes of our university in the field of transplantology, the Rector added that they were a continuation of the efforts of the pioneers and, at the same time, an expression of the responsibility and commitment of the current generation, which – like their predecessors – created the conditions for the development of this field over the next decades.

"I do hope that we will do our best to ensure that our successors may start from the highest possible level," admitted the Rector.

Memories of professors Nielubowicz and Orłowski

Memories were shared by Prof. Sławomir Nazarewski, Prof. Andrzej Górski, Prof. Jacek Szmidt, Dr. Zofia Rancewicz, Prof. Leszek Pączek, Prof. Magdalena Durlik, Prof. Marek Krawczyk.

The memories created a portrait of Professor Jan Nielubowicz as a man endowed with many talents, who emphasized that there was nothing better than the human mind, and who approached surgery in an innovative way. He was a man of the world who gained his knowledge of medicine from the best scientific and clinical centers, and immediately tried to apply the solutions he brought back from there in his department. He was an outstanding teacher whose lectures attracted crowds of students. He was also a mentor to many generations of surgeons.

Jan Nielubowicz was unique. "He was able to put his big dreams into practice and left behind a lot of achievements and important works," emphasized Prof. Sławomir Nazarewski.

Prof. Tadeusz Orłowski was remembered as a professional in every way, with great knowledge and experience, which he was happy to share with others. He was a demanding teacher and boss. At the same time, he devoted a lot of time to both patients and young medical students. He also had a great sense of humor.

"I believe that as a doctor, scientist and organizer he was the most outstanding and most important person I have ever met," said Prof. Andrzej Górski, a former MUW Rector.

On the progress in transplantology and its prospects

The second and third parts of the symposium included the presentation of a multidimensional picture of modern kidney transplants, with the speakers sharing both their own clinical experience and the current state of knowledge in this field. They talked about challenges, successes, and how the future of this field may look, even in quite a short perspective. The vast majority of the speakers were the representatives of our university. Their speeches confirmed the position of the MUW as a strong center of transplant medicine, and focused on improving standards of patient care.

Prof. Leszek Pączek talked about transplant immunology, Prof. Magdalena Durlik tackled the issue of how immunosuppression changed in kidney transplantation. Prof. Jolanta Małyszko focused on a patient with a history of hemato-oncological issues. Prof. Zbigniew Gałązka discussed the perspective of a vascular surgeon on kidney transplantation.

"One of the English vascular surgeons said that we live as long as our vessels," said Professor Gałązka. He added that atherosclerotic lesions may constitute a relative contraindication to kidney transplantation and generate a number of cardiovascular complications. In contrast, a patient with advanced atherosclerotic lesions may be qualified for kidney transplantation following vascular surgery.

We encourage you to read an interview with Prof. Zbigniew Gałązka on progress in kidney transplantation

The question of how to make a patient with a functional kidney transplant survive 25 years was answered by Prof. Krzysztof Mucha. He recalled that, currently, the life expectancy of a patient after a kidney transplantation is between 8 and 12 years. However, our doctors have patients whose kidneys were transplanted over 40 years ago.

"It is believed that 80% of post-transplant complications are associated with immunosuppression, regardless of what organ we are talking about," explained the speaker. He added that other problems following kidney transplant include cancers, which affect 49% of post-transplant patients, and the risk of kidney disease recurrence, which affects 15% of patients 10 years after transplantation. Another problem is that every ninth person waiting for a kidney transplant today requires a retransplant, and 26% of such patients are over sixty-five years of age, i.e., people with at least two concomitant diseases.

"There are a lot of clinical problems, but the knowledge and experience of our centers is enormous and thanks to that we are able to deal with them efficiently," emphasized Professor Mucha.

Kidney transplants from living donors and the use of minimally invasive methods in transplantology were discussed by Prof. Tomasz Jakimowicz. He emphasized that it was very important to carefully qualify donors for surgery, use a safe and proven surgical technique, while ensuring the donor's comfort when harvesting the organ. This is possible thanks to minimally invasive techniques.

Prof. Piotr Kaliciński from the Children's Memorial Health Institute talked about cooperation between the MUW and the Institute in the field of kidney transplantation in children, while Prof. Andrzej Barański from Leiden University discussed international training in abdominal organ procurement.

Liver autotransplantation was the subject of a speech by Prof. Michał Grąt. This is because only a few days before, the department headed by Professor Grąt performed an innovative operation to remove a giant liver tumor using transplantation techniques – ex situ liver resection with autotransplantation.

"The very concept of liver autotransplantation is the crème de la crème of liver transplantation and surgery, i.e., pushing the boundaries – most often in oncological surgery, in situations where we consider that a focal lesion is unresectable, but it is necessary to excise it. In such situations, we are able to excise and repair the organ, and then transplant this organ, or rather autograft. There is no limitation when it comes to the number of available organs," noted Professor Grąt.

We encourage you to read a text about the first in Poland operation to remove a liver tumor using autotransplantation

The role of POLTRANSPLANT in kidney transplantation was discussed by Prof. Artur Kamiński, and Dorota Lewandowska talked about the results of kidney transplantation in Poland.

New strategies for procuring and transplanting kidneys were discussed by Prof. Jarosław Czerwiński. Dr. Marcelina Grabowska focused on tissue typing, Dr. Michał Macech on xenotransplantations, and Prof. Maciej Kosieradzki tackled the issue of artificial intelligence in transplantology.

Apart from the abovementioned speakers, the symposium was also attended by: Prof. Agnieszka Cudnoch-Jędrzejewska, the Vice Rector for Clinical Affairs and Investment, Prof. Marek Kuch, the Vice Rector for Student Affairs and Education, Prof. Tadeusz Tołłoczko, the Rector of our university in the years 1990-1996, Prof. Paweł Włodarski, the Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, Prof. Robert Gałązkowski, the chairman of the Health Science Discipline Council, Prof. Krzysztof Filipiak, the Director-Rector of the Center of Postgraduate Medical Education in Warsaw, and Prof. Piotr Siciński from Harvard Medical School.

A speaker stands at the lectern, delivering a presentation during a scientific event. The background is filled with a large blue screen displaying information about the jubilee symposium. The person at the lectern rests their hands on the podium and looks straight ahead.

A speaker stands at the lectern, delivering a presentation. Next to them is a tall screen displaying a chart and photos of several people. Four individuals are seated in the audience, looking toward the stage. The lighting focuses attention on both the screen and the speaker.

A speaker stands at the lectern, delivering a presentation during the symposium. He rests his hands on the podium and looks toward the audience. Behind him is a large screen displaying the title of the presentation dedicated to the memory of Professor Jan Nielubowicz, along with archival graphics. At the bottom of the screen, information about the jubilee event is visible.

A speaker stands at the lectern, delivering a presentation during the symposium. He rests his hands on the podium and looks toward the audience. Next to him is a tall screen displaying information about the jubilee event.

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A person stands at the lectern, delivering a presentation. They are looking toward the screen, which shows a slide on the history of immunosuppressive drugs with timelines and drug names. One hand rests on the podium, while the other holds a clicker or a microphone. Next to the lectern stands a tall blue screen displaying information about the jubilee symposium.

A female speaker stands at the lectern, delivering a presentation. She is looking toward the large screen, which shows a slide about a patient with a hematologic‑oncologic history. One hand rests on the podium, while the other holds a clicker or notes. Next to the lectern stands a blue screen displaying information about the jubilee symposium.

A speaker stands at the lectern, delivering a presentation. He looks toward the large screen, which displays a title regarding challenges in vascular surgery in kidney recipients. One hand rests on the podium, while the other holds a clicker or notes. Next to the speaker is a blue screen displaying information about the jubilee symposium.

A speaker stands at the lectern, delivering a presentation. One hand rests on the podium, while the other is positioned near the microphone. He looks toward the audience. Next to the speaker stands a tall blue screen displaying information about the jubilee symposium. On the right side, a large slide is visible, showing a stage of an operation with the organ and the hands of the person performing the procedure.

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A person stands at the lectern, delivering a presentation during the symposium. They rest their hands on the podium and look toward the audience. Behind the speaker is a tall blue screen displaying information about the jubilee event.

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