4th workshop purification therapies, from research to clinics “the end of the beginning”: executive summary

Abstract

Over recent decades, advances in medicine have transformed the management of systemic diseases, severe inflammatory syndromes, and end-stage organ failure, expanding therapeutic possibilities in intensive care and transplantation. The fourth Workshop on Purification Therapies (WPT25), entitled "From Research to Clinic: The End of the Beginning", marked an important moment in the maturation of extracorporeal blood purification therapies (EBPTs) and organ perfusion technologies. The first day focused on dysregulated inflammatory diseases and EBPTs, highlighting the role of inflammatory mediators as cytokines, pointed out the potentiality in their clinical applications in septic and cardiogenic shock. The discussion was focused on patient selection, timing, dosing, and drug–device interactions. The second day addressed organ preservation and regeneration, emphasizing in situ and ex situ perfusion strategies to expand donor eligibility—including DCD and extended criteria donors—while mitigating the iatrogenic effects as the ischemia–reperfusion injury. Discussions explored temperature management, inflammatory modulation during procurement and treatment, and future perspectives such as personalized perfusion protocols and xenotransplantation. With 550 participants, 26 oral presentations, practical workshops, and 161 scientific contributions published in one special issue of Transplant International, the meeting consolidated evidence and try to define priorities for integrating purification and perfusion therapies into clinical practice.