This episode features Stanford Professor and transplant surgeon Dr. Stephan Busque. He discusses his extensive experience in the field of tolerance in transplantation, particularly focusing on advancements over the past 20 years. Dr. Busque highlights the significance of his team's work on translating research into clinical practice and mentions that they have the largest experience globally in this field.
Additionally, Dr. Busque shares exciting news about Stanford's first allogenic islet cell transplantation for a patient with type one diabetes, indicating a collaborative effort that brought together a multidisciplinary team to achieve this milestone. He reflects on the journey of making islet cell transplants more accessible and expresses hope for new beginnings in this area.
The episode wraps up with a lightning round where Dr. Busque discusses the qualities he admires in skilled surgeons, emphasizing the importance of being a well-rounded doctor who not only excels in technical skills but also demonstrates a deep understanding of patient care and connection. Going forward he’s excited for the development of protocols for various transplant scenarios, including open liver transplant tolerance, and indicates that patients with less-than-perfect matches are the next target group for improvements in transplantation techniques
