30 November 2023, 16:30

Abstract:

Transplantation medicine is a modern method of treating organ failure (heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, pancreas, small intestine) and bone marrow diseases (including malignant diseases). Due to the development of this field of medicine, in combination with reconstructive surgery, it has also become possible to transplant the face and upper limb. Tissue transplantation allows for complex reconstructive procedures eg. in patients after cancer operations or burns (use of bones, tendons, cartilage) as well as restoration of vision through corneal transplantation. Such treatment allows about 150,000 people in the world to recover or improve their quality of life every year. Despite the development of modern treatment methods and medical equipment, the best way to treat organ failure is organ transplantation, which gives patients long-term survival and better quality of life. 

A widespread global problem is the shortage of organs for transplantation, so new strategies and technologies are being implemented to harvest and transplant organs from living donors and from so called extended criteria donors, from whom organs were not harvested in the past due to a high risk of transplant failure or lack of function. Despite this, the gap between the growing number of people waiting for transplantation and the number of organs available for transplantation has not yet been reduced. Research into transplanting organs from animals is ongoing, but it has not yet gone beyond the stage of medical experiment, nor has research into the production of implantable "artificial organs" made in laboratories. 

Transplantation medicine is a multidisciplinary field that requires the cooperation of many medical specialties, professionals from various medical professions (eg. immunologists, laboratory diagnosticians, etc.) and other professions, especially in the field of experimental work. Further, much-needed development in this field depends on the cooperation of these professionals. 

Prof. dr hab. med. Roman Danielewicz

A graduate of the Medical University of Warsaw (1985). Employed at the Department of General and Transplantation Surgery at the University Clinical Center of the Medical University of Warsaw - Infant Jesus Clinical Hospital and at the Department of Surgical and Transplantation Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, Medical University of Warsaw.

Specialist in general surgery, clinical transplantation and public health.

From 2002 to 2011, he was the Director of the Department of Science and Higher Education at the Ministry of Health. From 2011 to 2016, he was the Director of the Poltransplant Organization and Coordination Center for Transplantation.

The main area of clinical and scientific interest is general surgery and clinical transplantology (kidney, pancreas, liver transplantation). 

Member of the Polish Transplantation Society (President of PTT for the 2019-2021 term), the Society of Polish Surgeons, the European Society of Organ Transplantation (ESOT), the Society of Transplantation (TTS), the International Liver Transplantation Society (ILTS), the Polish Society of Hepatology, and the Polish Union of Transplantation Medicine.

Member of the National Transplantation Council (since 2014), since 2021 Chairman of the National Transplantation Council.