ÿþ<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"><html><head> <!--link href="../master.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"--></head> <body bgcolor="#eae9e9"><font face="verdana"> <table width="530" height="1000" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" bgcolor="#eae9e9"><tr valign="top"><td style="height: 1712px; width: 738px;"> <h2 align="center">Emerging Treatment Strategies to Prevent Chronic Renal Allograft Nephropathy</h2> <b>PROGRAM OVERVIEW</b> <br> Since the advent of fungal macrolides as immunosuppressive agents, short-term allograft survival has improved as the incidence of intractable acute rejection has decreased. However, long-term allograft survival has not improved significantly. The faculty will present strategies aimed at reducing the incidence of late and chronic renal allograft nephropathy, including decreasing the use of calcineurin inhibitors by switching immunosuppressants - the results of conversion trials will be presented or using emerging new immunosuppressive agents. Strategies optimizing the long-term survival of kidney transplants from extended-criteria donors will also be presented. And, the exciting possibilities arising from stem-cell regeneration of solid organs and the use of stem cells to induce tolerance will be the topic of the keynote presentation. <br><br> <b>INTENDED AUDIENCE</b> <br> This activity is designed for transplant physicians, transplant surgeons, nephrologists, pharmacists, and transplant nurses as well as nurse practitioners, transplant coordinators, and other health care professionals involved in the care of patients undergoing solid organ transplantation. <br><br> <b>LEARNING OBJECTIVES</b> <br>After taking part in this activity, participants should be able to: <ol> <li>Describe the underlying pathology leading to late-stage allograft failure through chronic allograft nephropathy</li> <li>Relate the interactions of immune and nonimmune mechanisms that lead to the characteristic clinical and histological picture of chronic allograft nephropathy</li> <li>Discuss the risk factors, including possible genetic links, that underlie development of chronic rejection and chronic allograft nephropathy</li> <li>Compare and contrast the benefits and risks associated with calcineurin-sparing immunosuppressive protocols</li> <li>Review novel immunosuppressants with decreased nephrotoxicity and improved cardiovascular and metabolic profiles</li> <li>Optimize long-term outcomes for recipients of kidney transplants from extended-criteria donors</li> <li>Devise individualized immunosuppressive protocols based on knowledge of pathways targeted by the various immunosuppressants, with the goal of decreasing the incidence of chronic allograft nephropathy.</li> </ol> <b>TOPICS TO BE COVERED</b> <br> <ul> <li>Overview of Late Allograft Nephropathy</li> <li>Chronic Allograft Nephropathy: Underlying Mechanisms and Therapeutic Strategies for Reducing Fibrosis in Long-Term Allografts</li> <li>Current and Emerging Therapeutic Strategies for Management of Chronic Allograft Nephropathy</li> <li>Optimizing the Use and Outcome of Extended-Criteria Donor Transplantations: Improving Long-Term Graft Survival</li> <li>Utilization of Stem Cells for Organ Regeneration and Tolerance Induction</li> </ul> <p></p> <p class="PageContent"><b></b><br></p> <p class="PageContent"><b></b><br></p> <p align="right"><a href="form_registration.htm"><img src=".\images\btn_registration.jpg"></a><br><br></p> </td></tr></table></font></body></html>