Gasotransmitters in Organ Transplantation: A New Era in Transplant Medicine

This book covers recent pre-clinical and clinical developments in gasotransmitters (nitric oxide, carbon monoxide and hydrogen sulfide) in all transplantable solid organs - kidney, heart, lung, liver, pancreas and intestine. Gasotransmitters are a class of small endogenously produced gaseous signaling molecules that play important roles in cellular homeostasis and impact physiological and pathophysiological situations. Recently, these gasotransmitters have emerged as potent cytoprotective mediators, possessing therapeutic properties that enable them exhibit their intracellular signaling functions. Hence, alterations in their physiological levels have been associated with various pathologies including cold ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI) in organ transplantation.

In the context of organ transplantation, a novel therapeutic strategy that is being investigated involves administration of these gasotransmitters to the organ donor or recipient before or after transplantation, or supplementation of standard preservation solution with gasotransmitters during organ graft preservation to mitigate transplant-induced IRI. The book is divided into three parts for easier access: Hydrogen Sulfide in Organ Transplantation, Carbon Monoxide in Organ Transplantation, and Nitric Oxide in Organ Transplantation.

The proposed book presents recent advances in organ graft protection mediated by gasotransmitters against warm and cold IRI in preclinical models of organ transplantation and some selected clinical cases, and seeks to lay the foundation for future clinical applications of these gases. The book is topical and timely, and will serve as a good resource for both educational and didactic purposes in transplant patient care and other aspects of clinical medicine.

George Johnson Dugbartey (BSc, MSc, PhD) is a faculty member of University of Ghana, where he teaches Physiology and Pharmacology at undergraduate and graduate levels. He is also a Research Associate in surgery at London Health Sciences Centre, University of Western Ontario, Canada, where his research focuses on hydrogen sulfide in kidney transplantation. In addition, his research areas also include hydrogen sulfide therapy for diabetic and hypertensive nephropathies, and drug-induced acute kidney injury. He has over 10 years of research experience in the hydrogen sulfide field. Dr. Dugbartey is a well-traveled scholar, educator, and a versatile scientist, and has presented his research findings at a lot of scientific conferences globally. He is also the recipient of several conference awards and research awards including the prestigious Canadian Institutes of Health Research Grant Award. He has about 50 publications in internationally reputable peer-reviewed journals, most of which he is the lead author.

Alp Sener (BA, MD, PhD, FRCSC) is the Chief and Chair of Urology and Director of Kidney and Pancreas Transplant Fellowship Program at Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, London Health Sciences Centre and St. Joseph’s Hospital, London, Canada. He is an accomplished researcher, with over 20 years of research experience in the areas of kidney transplantation and hydrogen sulfide as a novel pharmacological approach for improved renal graft preservation. Dr. Sener is an internationally recognized kidney transplant surgeon, educator and researcher, with about 200 publications comprising research papers, reviews, conference abstracts and book chapters. He has presented his research findings in many national and international conferences. He is also a

recipient of several prestigious local, national and international research contribution awards including the Canadian Society of Transplantation Research Excellence Award, Western University Dean’s Award of Excellence, and Vanguard Award from the American Society of Transplant Surgeons.