Thomas E. Starzl Transplantation Institute

Dr. Nicole Ponde is a woman with brown braids in a ponytail, wearing an off-white crewneck with a white lab coat over it. She is sitting at a lab bench smiling at the camera. There are some miscellaneous lab supplies blurred in the foreground.

Congratulations to Dr. Nicole Ponde (postdoc) from the Gaffen Lab upon receipt of the LaJean Chaffin Postdoctoral Travel Award to attend the Keystone Meeting of the Medical #mycological Society of the Americas ( #MMSA) in January!!! 🥳

Three former MIDS scholars stand in a group along with Drs. Olivera Finn and Partha Biswas.

Do you know an undergrad at Pitt, Chatham University, or @cmu.edu who hasn't had opportunities for hands-on research? Please encourage them to apply for the Microbiology and Immunology Departments (MID) Scholars Program! Learn more and apply: lnkd.in/eT-gYTqR

Generating functionally stable and antigen-specific Treg cells from effector T cells for cell therapy of inflammatory diseases Antigen-specific and functionally stable Treg cells can be generated in vitro from effector/memory T cells for cell therapy of inflammatory diseases.

Researchers in #ScienceTranslationalMedicine present a new method to generate stable, antigen-specific regulatory #Tcells in large quantities using the body’s own conventional T cell pool, and show the resulting cells can treat IBD and GvHD in mouse models. https://scim.ag/47dDYBm

International Transplantation Science Meeting Make a difference in the field of transplantation by donating to support our cause.

There's still time to attend the International Transplantation Science (ITS) 2025! Join us November 16-19 in San Diego.

🗓️ Register now for ITS 2025 and be part of the future of healthcare innovation.

www.myast.org/its2025

Jordan's abstract: "Macrophage Recognition of Donor MHCI Tunes IL-27 Production to Shape Tissue Repair Following Heart Transplantation"

Kassandra's abstract: "Allogenic Treg Programmed to be Reparative is a Therapeutic Cell Therapy with Clinical Potential for the Resolution of Tissue Damage & Inflammation following Tissue Injury"

Kassandra Baron is a woman with dark brown hair, light eyes, and a nose piercing smiling at the camera. She is in front of a dark gray background, and she is wearing a light blue button up shirt.

Jordan Warunek is a man with brown hair, light eyes, and a short beard smiling at the camera. He is standing in front of a light wall, and he is wearing a gray-checkered button up shirt.

Congratulations to Kassandra Baron & Jordan Warunek (predocs) from the Turnquist Lab upon receipt of IST COTS- @astinfo.bsky.social Scientific Congress Awards for their abstracts (abstract titles in the comments due to character limits)!!! Keep up the good work👏👏

Graphic with headshot of graduate student Kenta Yamamoto announcing his F30 predoctoral award from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

Congratulations to @pitt-pmi.bsky.social student Kenta Yamamoto from @slg1717.bsky.social's lab for receiving an F30 predoctoral award from @niaidnews.bsky.social to study how RNA-binding proteins regulate #Tcells that drive inflammatory disease in a model of #GraftVersusHostDisease!

Graphic announcing that the Center for Systems Immunology and the University of Pittsburgh Department of Immunology are hiring an Assistant Professor in Systems Immunology. To learn more or apply, visit join.pitt.edu and search 24007498 under Faculty Positions

🚨 Faculty position alert! 🚨The Center for Systems Immunology (CSI) and @pitt-immunology.bsky.social are seeking to appoint a tenure-stream Assistant Professor. Learn more and apply: bit.ly/3L42cGS

From left to right: Dr. Heth Turnquist (man with a beard and glasses wearing jeans, a white button up shirt, and a black suit coat), Dr. Ananda Goldrath (woman wearing a long navy blue dress and orange shoes), and Dr. Dario Vignali (man with glasses wearing dark pants, a gray button up shirt, and a dark gray suit coat) all smiling. They are standing in front of a large projector screen with Dr. Goldrath's title slide in the background, "T cell function in tissues is imprinted by anatomical positioning And CD8 T cell exhaustion rescued by restoration of proteostasis".

Dr. Ananda Goldrath lecturing from behind a podium, next to a large projection screen showing graphs of T cell biology.

Thank you to everyone who attended yesterday's #Eberly Distinguished Lectureship in #Immunology! Thank you especially to Dr. Ananda Goldrath for such a wonderful talk!!! It's been an honor to host you and learn more about your research🔬🌌

REMINDER to join us TOMORROW, Oct. 16th at noon in the Assembly auditorium & via Zoom for our next #Eberly Distinguished Lectureship in #Immunology!

Dr. Ananda Goldrath from the Allen Insitute for Immunology (Seattle) will present "Thinking about the immune system in tissues across time & space"⌛🌌

Dr. Mohamed Ezzelarab is a man with a mustache and glasses, wearing a white lab coat with "Mohamed Ezzelarab, MD - Transplant Surgery" embroidered on it. He is smiling and standing in front of his lab space.

Congratulations to Dr. Mohamed Ezzelarab upon his election to the International #Xenotransplantation Association (aka #IXA, @ttsorg.bsky.social) Council for 2025 - 2029!!!👏🎉

@pittdeptofmed.bsky.social

Advances in liver and pancreas organoids: how far we have come and where we go next Nature Reviews Gastroenterology & Hepatology, Published online: 10 October 2025; doi:10.1038/s41575-025-01116-1Advances in organoid culture have enabled the modelling of many aspects of organs in vitro, transforming experimental biology. This Review provides a comprehensive overview of the current and emerging liver and pancreas organoid technologies and discusses current limitations and future directions.

New online! Advances in liver and pancreas organoids: how far we have come and where we go next

Discover the latest updates in uterus transplantation and learn from experts on the unique challenges and opportunities in this evolving field. This educational video is designed for transplant… Uterus Transplantation – A Primer for Transplant Professionals

Discover the latest updates in uterus transplantation and learn from experts on the unique challenges and opportunities in this evolving field. This video is designed for transplant professionals, fellows, and clinicians interested in reproductive transplantation.

Architects of molecular cages win Chemistry Nobel Susumu Kitagawa, Richard Robson, and Omar Yaghi honored for developing metal-organic frameworks

This year’s #NobelPrize in Chemistry has gone to the architects of molecular “cages” that could be used for everything from carbon capture to drug delivery. https://scim.ag/4mTE1Z6

Congratulations, Dr. Gaffen (@slg1717.bsky.social)!! Well-deserved 👏👏

A Clinical Study at the Forefront of Investigating Rare Kidney Diseases NEPTUNE, a multi-site clinical study, brings together different types of researchers to learn more about what drives some types of kidney disease.

🧬CU nephrologist Dr. James Dylewski is co-leading NEPTUNE, a national study on rare kidney diseases like Alport syndrome, FSGS, and membranous nephropathy. With 1,000+ participants, it’s advancing understanding and treatment of nephrotic syndrome.

Read more here: tinyurl.com/2j8updzw

Also, congratulations to Dr. Turnquist's post-doc, Dr. Afsana Naaz, on her Elevator Pitch entitled "Finding the Best Way to Mend a Breaking Heart (Shaping Transplant Outcomes)"🎉🙌

Felicia Kemp is a woman with glasses wearing dark jeans, tall boots, and a blue long-sleeved blouse, smiling. She is standing next to her poster presentation entitled "PPAR loss impairs the proliferation of alloreactive CD4 T cells and decreases GVHD severity".

Heth Turnquist is a man with a beard and glasses wearing a blue button up shirt and a brown blazer. He is standing behind a podium, in front of a projector screen with the title slide of his presentation up. The lecture is titled "Elucidating the role of immune cell-mediated repair in heart transplantation outcomes".

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Afsana Naaz is a woman wearing a green t-shirt with a long black skirt, smiling. She is standing next to her poster presentation entitled "Alloimmunity Generated Injury Signals Control Local Chemokine Levels in Areas of Cardiac Allograft Vasculopathy".

Betsy Varghese is a woman with glasses wearing a horizontal black and white striped long-sleeve shirt with black bottoms, smiling. She is standing next to her poster presentation entitled "Establishing immune biomarker surrogates of neuro-, surgical and rejection-mediated inflammation in Whole Eye Transplant (WET)"

Jordan Warunek is a man wearing khakis and a dark checkered button up shirt, smiling. He is standing next to his poster presentation entitled "Macrophage Recognition of Donor MHCI Tunes IL-27 Production to Shape Tissue Repair Following Heart Transplantation".

The #Turnquist Lab takes on the 2025 #Immunology Dept (@pitt-immunology.bsky.social) Retreat!! Special congratulations to Dr. Turnquist's pre-doc, Jordan Warunek, for winning 2nd Best Poster🎉👏
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REMINDER to join us on Thurs., Oct. 16th at noon in the Assembly auditorium & via Zoom for our next #Eberly Distinguished Lectureship in #Immunology!

Dr. Ananda Goldrath from the Allen Insitute for Immunology (Seattle) will present "Thinking about the immune system in tissues across time & space"⌛🌌

The Truth About Organ Donation: Facts Behind the Headlines Make a difference in the field of transplantation by donating to support our cause.

In Case You Missed It!

Organ donation saves thousands of lives each year, and the system is designed to be safe and reliable. Help your community get the facts - share this article with your patients or on your social channels.

Learn more: bit.ly/4mB2XV7

Hispanic Heritage Month

#HispanicHeritageMonth is a time to honor the history, achievements, and resilience of Hispanic/Latino communities while reflecting on the health challenges that disproportionately impact them, including kidney disease.

Follow along as we keep sharing stories and resources throughout the month. 🧡

New online! Clinical trial design, biomarkers and end points in metabolic and alcohol-related liver disease

Excited for this article! Defining B cells has always felt messy and hard to follow. Hoping this brings some clarity.

Happy National APP Week! 🎉 Thank you to all Advanced Practice Providers who provide care and emotional support to patients and teams. You help make the world go round! 🌏
#2025APPWeek

SOOOOO excited to see this online IN REAL-LIFE!!

Here, we review the latest in hepatic tissue-resident #Tcell biology. We draw on a metaphor proposed by Robert Louis Stevenson [1886] to highlight the fact a cell can manifest different behaviours & actions depending on environmental context 🧪

Say hello to our incoming SOM PhD students 2025-26!

#phd #pitt #welcomeceremony #bgsa

Title: ‘Keeping care safe for your child – Tips for families’. Four tips are displayed with colourful icons: 1) Keep track of symptoms, medication and appointments. 2) Stay informed about common medical conditions. 3) Ask questions when you are unsure. 4) Speak up when something feels wrong.

It’s #WorldPatientSafetyDay

📣 Parents and caregivers!

You play a vital role in making decisions and keeping your children safe when they receive care:
🙌 Be active participants
🙌 Ask questions
🙌 Stay informed
🙌 Speak up Learn more

Learn more 👉 bit.ly/WPSD2025WHO #PatientSafety

An illustration of man sitting at desk with scroll rising up and reflecting himself back, with text that says: I wasn’t sure how to be a postdoc. Here’s how I found my way.

"I realized I would need to figure out my postdoc personality on my own."

During #NationalPostdocAppreciationWeek, check out this #ScienceWorkingLife story on how one researcher found their way as a postdoc. https://scim.ag/4pqszGX