For the 18th time, the editors of “Puls Medycyny” awarded the most innovative projects in Polish medicine. The submitted projects were evaluated by 37 members of selection committee, which included representatives of medical universities and the most prominent scientific societies and medical organizations.
Golden Scalpel for Prof. Michał Grąt
“New frontier of liver surgery: autotransplantation program and the world's first chimeric liver transplants” was the highest rated project. The project leader was Prof. Grąt, and the team included: Dr Wacław Hołówko, Dr Maciej Krasnodębski, Dr Konrad Kobryń, Dr Piotr Remiszewski, Dr Paweł Topolewski, Dr Piotr Smoter, Dr Mateusz Bartkowiak, Paweł Rykowski, MD, Piotr Cyran, MD, Marilla Turkot, MD, Agata Konieczka, MD, Dr Marta Dec, Dawid Tomasik, MD.
The project involves an innovative treatment program for patients with extensive liver tumors that were previously considered inoperable. It combines ex situ surgery, autotransplantation and temporary support of organ regeneration. The patient's liver is operated on outside the body, and its healthy portion is reimplanted. If it is too small, it is temporarily supported by a portion of the donor's liver. The portion is removed after the regeneration of the patient's own organ. The method allows the expansion of the possibilities of radical treatment, while avoiding permanent organ transplantation and lifelong immunosuppression. So far, eight such procedures have been performed as part of the program.
Third place for the project led by Prof. Mariusz Kuśmierczyk
The third place went to “Innovative program of immunological screening, desensitization and monitoring of heart transplant using donor-derived cell-free DNA” The project was led by Prof. Mariusz Kuśmierczyk, and the team included: Dr Małgorzata Sobieszczańska-Małek, Dr Anna Prowotorow-Iwaniukowicz, Diana Dudek, Dr Marcelina Grabowska, Agnieszka Jałbrzykowska, Iwona Sobierajska, Martyna Brzoza, Weronika Zarychta-Wiśniewska, and Karolina Postek.
Poland's first comprehensive program of immunological monitoring of adults and children after heart transplant allows for an earlier detection of the risk of organ rejection and suitable adaptation of care to the patient's needs. Its key element is the study of circulating DNA from the transplanted heart (dd-cfDNA), which may indicate organ damage even before the onset of clinical symptoms. As a result, it is possible to reduce the number of invasive biopsies while maintaining control over the condition of the transplanted heart.
WUM among the leaders of medical innovations
This year's results are another success of WUM teams in the Golden Scalpel competition. In 2024, the main prize was also won by the team of Prof. Michał Grąt. It was the first Polish program of transplanting one liver divided for two adult recipients. Moreover, as many as six WUM projects made it to the top ten of that edition.
The Golden Scalpel competition organized by the editors of “Puls Medycyny” promotes solutions that change diagnostics, treatment and patient care and allow the implementation of the most innovative technologies and procedures into clinical practice.
