Surgery

Abdominal Transplant & Hepatobiliary Surgery Fellowship Research

Program Research Overview

From studying immunosuppressive agents in the early 1990’s that revolutionized the field to normothermic machine perfusion clinical trials in the past few years, the UCLA transplant program has been at the forefront of transplantation research for over 38 years. The program has extensive basic, translational and clinical science research activities with NIH, private funding and over 1500 publications to date. Our fellows are strongly encouraged to participate in ongoing projects or develop their own with mentorship during their training and are fully supported to present their work at national meetings.

Research 2

Research Areas

  • Ischemia reperfusion injury
  • High acuity prognostication
  • Hepatocellular carcinoma
  • Cholangiocarcinoma
  • Heart- Liver transplantation
  • Multivisceral transplantation
  • Immunosuppression modulation 
  • Outcomes

Recent Fellow Presentations/Publications

Horwitz JK, Kaldas FM. CAQ Corner: Technical considerations in liver transplantation (101 for hepatologists) [published online ahead of print, 2022 Sep 2]. Liver Transpl. 2022;10.1002/lt.26556. doi:10.1002/lt.26556

Ito T, Butler JR, Noguchi D, Ha M, Aziz A, Agopian V, DiNorcia J, Yersiz H, Farmer DG, Busuttil RW, Hong JC, Kaldas FM. A 3-Decade, Single-Center Experience of Liver Transplantation for Cholangiocarcinoma: Impact of Era, Tumor Size, Location, and Neoadjuvant Therapy. Liver Transpl. 2022;28(3):386-396. doi:10.1002/lt.26285

Li J, Noguchi D, Ha M, Ito T, McMillan R, DiNorcia J, Agopian VG, Yersiz H, Farmer DG, Busuttil RW, Kaldas FM. Evolution of Liver Transplantation for Acute Liver Failure: A Single Center Experience with 250 Patients in the Modern Era. WSA 2021 Annual Meeting: November 2021

Li J, Yan P, Ha M, Shover CM, Fulcher J, DiNorcia J, Agopian VA, Farmer DG, Barjaktarevic I, Kaldas FM. COVID-19 Infection Post Orthotopic Liver Transplantation – The Largest Single Center U.S. Experience. WSA 2021 Annual Meeting: November 2021

Seth R, Dubrovsky G, Busuttil RW, Cameron RB. Management of a large delayed esophageal perforation in a fresh liver transplant patient with endoscopic placement of a nasopleural drainage tube-a case report. J Surg Case Rep. 2020;2020(9):rjaa385. Published 2020 Sep 30. doi:10.1093/jscr/rjaa385

Amin A, Molina A, Quach L, Ito T, McMillan R, DiNorcia J, Agopian VG, Kaldas FM, Farmer DG, Busuttil RW, Winston DJ. Liver Transplantation in Patients with Pretransplant Aspergillus Colonization: Is It Safe To Proceed? Transplantation. 2020 Apr 13. doi: 10.1097/TP.0000000000003276. Online ahead of print.

Amin A, Farmer DG. Current outcomes after pediatric and adult intestinal transplantation. Curr Opin Organ Transplant. 2019; 24(2):193-198. doi:10.1097/MOT.0000000000000608

Amin A, Ito T, Ng D, McMillan R, DiNorcia J, Agopian V, Kaldas F, Yersiz H, Busuttil R, Farmer D. Analysis Of Public Health Service Increased Risk Donors Shows No Viral Transmission In Liver Transplant Recipients And Similar Graft / Patient Survival When Compared To Non-increased Risk Donors. American Transplant Congress Annual Meeting: June 2019, Boston, MA

McMillan R, Ito T, Aziz A, Amin A, Murray A, DiNorcia J, Agopian VG, Yersiz H, Farmer DG, Busuttil RW, Kaldas FM. Liver Transplantation for Acute Liver Failure: A 16 Year Experience with 214 Patients in the Post-MELD Era. American Transplant Congress Annual Meeting: June 2019, Boston, MA

Presser N, DiNorcia J, Agopian V, Yersiz H, Farmer D, Busuttil R, Kaldas F. Complex Combined Thoracic/liver Transplant: A Seven Year Experience. 2018 American Transplant Congress Annual Meeting.

McMillan R, Amin A, DiNorcia III J, Agopian VG, Yersiz H, Farmer D, Busuttil R, Kaldas FM. A Single Center Experience Reporting Outcomes of Peri-Operative Cardiac Surgery and Liver Transplantation in High Acuity Recipients. American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (The Liver Meeting): November 2018, San Francisco, CA

Presser N, DiNorcia J, Agopian V, Yersiz H, Farmer D, Busuttil R, Kaldas F. Balloon-Occluded Retrograde Transvenous Obliteration (BRTO) for the Treatment of Medically Refractory Hepatic Encephalopathy (HE) in Patients with ESLD and Significant Portal-Venous Shunting. 2018 American Transplant Congress Annual Meeting.

Lee J, Valadez M, Moreno E, Markovic D, Agopian V, DiNorcia J, Yersiz H, Farmer D, Busuttil R, Kaldas F. Cannabis Use in Liver Transplant Recipients: A Single Center Experience. 2018 American Transplant Congress Annual Meeting.

Wong M, Venick R, Agopian V, et al. Acute Renal Replacement Therapy in Pediatric Liver Transplantation: A Predictor of Increased Risk. 2017 American Transplant Congress Annual Meeting.

Russell TA, Park S, Agopian VG, et al. Peritransplant Pancreatitis: A Marker of High Mortality and Graft Failure in Liver Transplant Patients. Liver Transpl. 2017 Jul; 23(7):925-932.

Dubray BJ, Dumronggittigule W, Cheng CY, et al. Enterostomy after Intestinal Transplantation: the first report of complications and outcome. Transplantation, Jun 2017: 101(6S2):S19. doi: 10.1097/01.tp.0000521302.42297.17

Cheng EY, DuBray BJ, Farmer DG. The impact of antibodies and virtual crossmatching on intestinal transplant outcomes. Curr Opin Organ Transplant. 2017 Apr;22(2):149-154.

DuBray BJ, Busuttil RW. Historical Review of Solid Organ Transplantation. In: Nadig SN and Wertheim JA (eds). Technological Advances in Whole Organ Transplantation. 1st Edition. Springer. 2017: pp.1-20.

Busuttil RW, DuBray BJ. Liver Transplantation for Alcoholic Hepatitis. Ann Surg. 2017 Jan;265(1):30-31.

Lunsford KE, Bodzin AS, Markovic D, et al. Avoiding Futility in Simultaneous Liver-kidney Transplantation: Analysis of 331 Consecutive Patients Listed for Dual Organ Replacement. Ann Surg. 2017 May;265(5):1016-1024.

DuBray BJ, Farmer DG. Small Intestinal and Multivisceral Transplantation. In: Ashley SW (ed). Scientific American Surgery. Decker 2016.

DuBray BJ, Zarrinpar A. Quantification of hepatic functional capacity: a call for standardization. Expert Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2016;10(1):9-11.

Zarrinpar A, Lee DK, Silva A, et al. Individualizing Liver Transplant Immunosuppression Using a Phenotypic Personalized Medicine Platform. Sci Transl Med. 2016 Apr 6; 8(333):333ra49.

Lunsford K, Harlander-Locke M, Gornbein J, et al. Comparative Analysis of Patients with Mixed Hepatocellular-Cholangiocarcinoma (HCC-CCA) Undergoing Liver Transplantation: A Single Center Matched Cohort Analysis. 2016 American Transplant Congress Annual Meeting.

Reino DC, Weigle KE, Dutson EP, Bodzin AS, Lunsford KE, Busuttil RW. Liver Transplantation and Sleeve Gastrectomy in the Medically Complicated Obese: New Challenges on The Horizon. World J Hepatol. 2015 Sep 28;7(21):2315-2318.

Bodzin A, Reino D, Lunsford K, Harlander-Locke M, et al. Predictors of Time to Recurrence and Mortality Associated With Recurrent Hepatocellular Carcinoma after Liver Transplantation. 2015 American Transplant Congress Annual Meeting.

Lunsford K, Bodzin A, Reino D, et al. Avoiding Futility in Simultaneous Liver-Kidney Transplantation (SLKT): Analysis of 331 Consecutively Listed Patients. 2015 American Transplant Congress Annual Meeting.

Lunsford KE, Zarrinpar A, Kaldas FM, et al. Avoiding Futility in Simultaneous Liver-Kidney Transplantation: Analysis of 271 Consecutive Patients Listed for Dual Organ Transplantation. 2015 American Society of Transplant Surgeons Annual State of the Art Winter Symposium.

Lunsford KE, Bodzin AS, Reino DC, Wang HL, Busuttil RW. Dangerous Dietary Supplements: Garcinia Cambogia-Associated Hepatic Failure Requiring Transplantation. World J Gastroenterol. 2016 Dec 7;22(45):10071-10076.

Reino DC, Weigle KE, Dutson EP, Bodzin AS, Lunsford KE, Busuttil RW. Liver Transplantation and Sleeve Gastrectomy in the Medically Complicated Obese: New Challenges on The Horizon. World J Hepatol. 2015 Sep 28;7(21):2315-2318.

Bodzin AS, Finn RS, Busuttil RW. Adjuvant Chemotherapy after Liver Transplantation for Hepatocellular Carcinoma. Hepatobiliary Pancreat Dis Int. 2015 Jun;14(3):234-235.

Bodzin AS, Busuttil RW. Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Advances in Diagnosis, Management, and Long Term Outcome. World J Hepatol. 2015 May 28;7(9):1157-1167.

Lunsford K, Bodzin A, Reino D, et al. Avoiding Futility in Simultaneous Liver-Kidney Transplantation (SLKT): Analysis of 331 Consecutively Listed Patients. 2015 American Transplant Congress Annual Meeting.

Bodzin A, Reino D, Lunsford KE, et al. Predictors of Time to Recurrence and Mortality in Patients Developing Recurrent Hepatocellular Carcinoma after Liver Transplantation. 2015 American Society of Transplant Surgeons Annual State of the Art Winter Symposium.

Shaik I, Carmody IC, Chen PW. Treatment of Acute and Chronic Rejection. In: Transplantation of the Liver, Busuttil RW and Klintmalm GBG (Eds). Third Edition. Elsevier Saunders, Philadelphia, PA. 2015: pp. 1317-1328.

DiNorcia J, Lee MK, Harlander-Locke MP, et al. Damage Control as a Strategy to Manage Postreperfusion Hemodynamic Instability and Coagulopathy in Liver Transplant. JAMA Surg. 2015 Nov;150(11):1066-1072.

Busuttil RW, DiNorcia J, Kaldas FM. Extended Criteria Donors. In: Transplantation of the Liver, Busuttil RW and Klintmalm GBG (Eds). Third Edition. Elsevier Saunders, Philadelphia, PA. 2015: pp. 547-556.

DiNorcia J, Lee MK, Harlander-Locke M, et al. Reoperative Complications after Primary Orthotopic Liver Transplantation: A Contemporary Single-Center Experience in the Post-Model for End-Stage Liver Disease Era. J Am Coll Surg. 2014 Nov; 219(5):993-1000.

Marcus EA, Wozniak LJ, Venick RS, Ponthieux SM, Cheng EY, Farmer DG. Successful Term Pregnancy in an Intestine-Pancreas Transplant Recipient With Chronic Graft Dysfunction and Parenteral Nutrition Dependence: A Case Report. Transplant Proc. 2015 Apr;47(3):863-7.

Cheng EY, Busuttil RW. Liver Transplantation for Pediatric Hepatoblastoma and Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Out of the Unknown. JAMA Surg. 2015 Dec;150(12):1158-9.

Zarrinpar A, Lee C, Noguchi E, Cheng E, DiNinorcia J, Shaik I, Agopian V, Yersiz H, Kaldas F, Farmer D, Busuttil R. A Rapid, Reproducible, Non-invasive Predictor of Liver Graft Utilization. 2014 American Society of Transplant Surgeons Annual State of the Art Winter Symposium.

Shaik I, DiNorcia J, Cheng E et al. Predictors of Graft Nonfunction (GNF) Following Orthotopic Liver Transplantation: A Single-Center Analysis of 1519 Consecutive Transplants. 2014 American Society of Transplant Surgeons Annual State of the Art Winter Symposium.

Cheng E, Agopian A, Petrowsky H, et al. Prediction of Futility Following Liver Transplantation:  A Blinded, Prospective Comparison of Risk-scoring Systems. 2014 American Society of Transplant Surgeons Annual State of the Art Winter Symposium.