Research In Organ Transplantation
Descriptions of Projects
Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients (SRTR)
The SRTR supports the ongoing evaluation of the scientific and clinical status of solid organ transplantation in the United States. The SRTR is one of the world's largest clinical databases, with data covering all aspects of solid organ transplantation in the U.S., including donors, potential transplant candidates on the waiting list, and organ transplant recipients. Among the many products of the SRTR are published reports on the results of major scientific research analyses, analyses produced to support committees of the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network and the Advisory Committee on Organ Transplantation, publication of comprehensive reports twice yearly on the web for every transplant program and organ procurement organization in the U.S., an annual data report, and a biennial report to Congress. With oversight and funding from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the SRTR has been based in Ann Arbor since 2000 at Arbor Research Collaborative for Health, with a major subcontract to the University of Michigan. The U-M component of the project is headed by Dr. Robert Merion.
CMS Transplant Center and Organ Procurement Organization Reports
As part of the CMS “End Stage Renal Disease Data Reports for CMS, State, and Facility Oversight” contract (see DFRs), UM-KECC is providing data needed by the Survey and Certification Group at CMS for surveying Transplant Centers and Organ Procurement Organizations (OPO) under the final rules published in 2006 for OPOs and in 2007 for Transplant Centers. The new CMS regulations specify the use of outcome measures from the SRTR Center-Specific and OPO-Specific Reports. HRSA and CMS exchange data through UM-KECC (CMS contractor) and the SRTR (HRSA contractor) to the mutual benefit of both federal agencies. Arbor Research Collaborative for Health is a subcontractor to UM-KECC for this contract. The work of UM-KECC and Arbor Research on this project is separate from their work under the SRTR contract.
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2ALL (Adult to Adult Living Donor Liver Transplantation Cohort Study)
Adult to adult living donor liver transplantation (AALDLT) is one possible remedy for the shortage of donor organs for liver transplantation. AALDLT is a relatively new procedure increasingly used at major transplantation centers. Too few cases are performed at any one center and approaches to the patient and donor are too diverse across centers to provided generalizable information on donor and recipient outcomes from individual centers. The primary goal of the A2ALL study is to provide valuable information on the outcomes of AALDLT for donors and recipients. This information is needed to aid decisions made by physicians, potential recipients, and potential donors. The A2ALL study consortium consists of 9 US clinical transplant centers and a Data Coordinating Center (DCC) housed at the UM-KECC under the direction of Dr. Robert Merion. Dr. Merion is the Principal Investigator for the DCC and serves as the consortium's Steering Committee Chair. The DCC provides overall project management, designs and maintains the study's online database, monitors the clinical sites' compliance with the study protocols and regulatory requirements, maintains data integrity and quality, and performs data analyses. The A2ALL project is funded by the National Institutes of Health, with additional funding from Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) and the American Society of Transplant Surgeons (ASTS).
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Renal and Lung Living Donors Evaluation Study (RELIVE)
The RELIVE study looks at outcomes of living kidney and lung donation. Living organ donation has become much more common in recent years. However, what we know about the short and long-term outcomes for living organ donors is not complete. In order to learn more about the risks and benefits of living kidney and lung donation, the RELIVE project brings together a consortium of clinical transplant centers and a Data Coordinating Center (DCC) to study large numbers of people who have donated a kidney or lobe of lung for transplantation.The DCC is housed at the UM-KECC, and includes a sub-contract to Arbor Research Collaborative for Health. The UM-KECC component is headed by Dr. Robert Merion. Dr. Merion is the Principal Investigator for the DCC and serves as the consortium's Steering Committee Chair. The DCC provides overall project management, designs and maintains the study's online database, links to large databases to gather information regarding long-term donor outcomes, maintains data integrity and quality, and performs data analyses.The RELIVE project is funded by the National Institutes of Health, with additional funding from Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA).
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UM Transplant Program Analytical Data Support
UM-KECC staff provide support to the UM Transplant Program in developing reports and analytical data files to support administration, quality improvement, and research using the extensive data collected by the Transplant Program and the UM hospital information systems during the entire transplant process.
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