Joren Madsen
Paul S. Russell/Warner Lambert Professor of Surgery
Director, MGH Transplant Center, Massachusetts General Hospital
Co-Director, Center for Transplantation Sciences, Department of Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital
Massachusetts General Hospital East
Center for Transplantation Sciences
Building 149, 13th Street, Suite 9008
Charlestown, MA 02129
The Cardiothoracic Transplantation Laboratory in the Center for Transplantation Sciences (CTS) at Massachusetts General Hospital is dedicated to:
- Improving the survival of recipients of heart and lung transplant allografts by eliminating the need for chronic immunosuppression through the induction of immune tolerance
- Eliminating the shortages of donor heart and lung allografts through pig-to-human xenotransplantation and/or whole organ bioengineering with adult and embryonic stem cells
The investigations in this laboratory utilize large animal models of transplantation with a focus on thoracic organs since the immune system responds more aggressively to heart and lung allografts than to other allografts such as kidney or liver. Indeed, experimental tolerance protocols that are successful in kidney or liver recipients are typically not effective in heart or lung recipients. Therefore, organ-specific research in heart and lung transplant models will be critical to advancing the field of clinical thoracic transplantation.