Liver Disease, Organ Donation & the Future of Transplantation Liver disease often progresses quietly—and too many people do not know they are at risk until the disease is advanced. In this episode of Patient Innovations, hosts Rashmi Kandwal and Shannon Stauff bring together the human, clinical and innovation sides of liver disease and transplantation. Transplant recipient MacGregor Nestler shares the experience of becoming critically ill, waiting for a donor liver and rebuilding his life after transplant. Bubu A. Banini, MD, PhD, of Yale School of Medicine and the American Liver Foundation explains the many causes of liver disease, the importance of earlier awareness and how trusted support can help patients and families navigate an overwhelming diagnosis. M. Zeeshan Akhtar, MD, PhD, of the Recanati/Miller Transplantation Institute at Mount Sinai explores how machine perfusion, research collaboration and artificial intelligence may help make more donated organs available for lifesaving transplantation. The conversation also makes the case for a Minnesota Liver Health Day: a focused opportunity to increase awareness, encourage people to understand their liver health and connect Minnesotans with credible education, screening conversations and support. In This EpisodeMacGregor's journey from serious liver disease through transplant and recoveryWhy liver disease is often misunderstood—and why stigma can delay careThe many conditions that can lead to liver damage, failure and transplantationHow the American Liver Foundation helps patients and families find education, support and practical guidanceWhy Minnesota needs greater public awareness of liver health and organ donationWhy people should discuss liver-related lab results and risk factors with a healthcare professionalHow organ donation gives patients a second chance at lifeHow machine perfusion can preserve and evaluate donated livers and potentially expand the number of organs available for transplantThe emerging role of artificial intelligence in transplantationWhat gives patients, advocates and clinicians hope for the future The Blavatnik Family Foundation's SupportThe Blavatnik Family Foundation made a $5 million gift, pledged over five years, to the Recanati/Miller Transplantation Institute at Mount Sinai to expand its organ-perfusion platform. The funding supports new technologies designed to preserve donated organs longer, improve their function and viability, and potentially recover organs that might previously have been considered unsuitable for transplantation. It also supports continued research, an international organ registry and the future use of artificial intelligence to help assess organ quality. Learn more about the Blavatnik Family Foundation's support for Mount Sinai's organ-perfusion work. Meet the GuestsMacGregor NestlerMacGregor is a liver transplant recipient who shares a firsthand account of serious liver disease, the uncertainty of waiting for a donor organ and life after transplantation. His story brings the patient and family experience to the center of the conversation. Bubu A. Banini, MD, PhDDr. Banini is an Assistant Professor of Medicine in Digestive Diseases at Yale School of Medicine, Vice Chief for Clinical Research in Digestive Diseases, Translational Research Director of the Metabolic Health and Weight Loss Program and Associate Director of the Clinical and Translational Core at the Yale Liver Center. A transplant-trained hepatologist and physician-scientist, she earned both her MD and PhD in genetics and molecular biology. She also serves on the American Liver Foundation's National Medical Visionary Board. In this conversation, she helps listeners understand the broader liver-health landscape and the importance of prevention, earlier identification, advocacy and support. M. Zeeshan Akhtar, MD, PhDDr. Akhtar is an Assistant Professor of Surgery, Liver Transplant, and of Immunology and Immunotherapy at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. He is an attending liver transplant and hepatopancreatobiliary surgeon at the Recanati/Miller Transplantation Institute and Principal Investigator of the PUMP Consortium. His clinical practice includes liver transplantation, living-donor liver transplantation and advanced hepatopancreatobiliary surgery. His research focuses on machine perfusion and ex vivo organ reconditioning to improve organ preservation, expand access to transplantation and help more donated organs become viable for transplant. ResourcesAmerican Liver FoundationAmerican Liver Foundation Help Center — education, support groups, resource navigation and the national helpline at 1-800-465-4837Donate Life America — organ, eye and tissue donation information and registrationOrgan Procurement and Transplantation Network Patient ResourcesMount Sinai Recanati/Miller Transplantation InstituteBlavatnik Family FoundationMinnesota Department of HealthHealthcareMN About Patient InnovationsPatient Innovations, presented by HealthcareMN, explores health conditions through the voices of patients, clinicians, researchers, advocates and innovators. Each episode begins with lived experience and asks what becomes possible when healthcare listens closely to the people it serves. Listen and subscribe: https://healthcare.mn/podcast Contact: hello@healthcare.mn #PatientInnovations #LiverHealth #LiverTransplant #OrganDonation #Liverdisease #HealthcareInnovation #MachinePerfusion #PatientVoice #BlavatnikFamilyFoundation.
