Mehmet Haberal, MD, FACS (Hon), FICS (Hon),
FASA (Hon), FIMSA (Hon), Hon FRCS (Glasg)
Chair, International Symposium on Deceased and Living Donor Recent Criteria
Founder and Founder President, Baskent University
President of the Executive Supreme Board, Baskent University
Chair, Baskent University Division of Transplantation
Immediate Past-President, The Transplantation Society
Distinguished Fellow, Royal Society of Medicine
Founder and Past President, Middle East Society for Organ Transplantation
Founder and President, Turkish Transplantation Society
Founder and President, Turkic World Transplantation Society
Editor-in-Chief, Experimental and Clinical Transplantation
Editor-in-Chief, Burn Care and Prevention

Since the mid-19th century, organ and tissue transplantation is accepted as a valid and advanced treatment method applied in many chronic organ diseases. Organ transplantation achieved a significant breakthrough in medicine, and thus made the impossible possible. Today, many chronic organ disease patients, especially kidney and liver transplant patients, start their new and completely healthy lives following transplantation.

However, organ shortage remains as the most significant challenge facing the field of organ transplantation today. Millions of people die and are buried with healthy organs, which could save lives of many patients. Donor selection criteria is crucial in determining eligible donors and it should be regularly reviewed in order to be able to expand the donor pool.

As the Founder and President of the Turkish Transplantation Society (TOND), the Turkic World Transplantation Society (TDTD), and the Middle East Society for Organ Transplantation (MESOT), it was an honor and privilege to organize the International Symposium on Deceased and Living Donor Recent Criteria on May 5-6, 2022 at the Kizilcahamam Thermal Resort Hotel in Ankara, Turkey as a hybrid meeting.

The International Symposium on Deceased and Living Donor Recent Criteria reviewed and evaluated living and deceased donor selection criteria especially in the fields of infectious diseases, oncology and neurology in order to propose various strategies to expand the donor pool and in order to help more chronic organ and tissue disease patients. During the Symposium, participants exchanged ideas around the latest developments and the current practices. The program embraced keynote lectures by world-renowned professionals specialized in their respective fields as well as oral presentations from the world.

The Congress, boasted 33 invited speakers worldwide including TTS President Professor Marcelo Cantarovich, MESOT President-Elect Professor Mohammad Ghnaimat and the MESOT Past Presidents Professors Adibul Rizvi, Antoine Stephan, Faissal Shaheen, Mustafa Al-Mousawi, Anwar Naqvi, Marwan Masri, S. Ali Malek-Hosseini, Bassam Saeed, Refaat Kamel. MESOT Executive Committee Members and Councilors, President of the African Society of Transplantation (ASOT) Professor Gamal Saadi, TTS Past Presidents Professors Jeremy Chapman and Francis Delmonico, TTS Councilors Professors Marti Manyalich and Vivek Kute, President-Elect of the African Society of Nephrology Professor Hani Hafez, as well as renowned scientists in their respective fields including Professors Ignazio Marino, Peter Friend, Hasan Yersiz, Ann E. Woolley, Stefan Schneeberger, Nabil Mohsin, Ali Al Obaidli, and May Hassaballa.

Around 200 guests from 34 countries including Algeria, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahrein, Bangladesh, Canada, Egypt, Georgia, Greece, Hong Kong, India, Iran, Iraq, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, KSA, Kuwait, Lebanon, Myanmar, New Zealand, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, South Korea, Spain, Syria, Turkey, UAE, UK, USA, Uzbekistan attended the symposium physically and virtually. 33 keynote lectures and 29 oral presentations were scheduled. Discussions took place at the highest level and attendees had a chance to share and learn from each other.

Despite the Covid-19 pandemic, The International Symposium on Deceased and Living Donor Recent Criteria proved to be a great success with high positive feedback from all who were in attendance. They were all in consensus that the international transplant community should continue to collaborate in order to decrease global organ shortage especially in countries with low donor and transplantation rates.

The manuscripts and presented abstracts included in this issue of Experimental and Clinical Transplantation address most of the relevant aspects of this issue that were discussed during the symposium.

Finally, I would like to present my special thanks to all of the invited guests and participants who have contributed to the success of the Symposium at the highest level.