ISHLT2026: Industry Symposia - Wednesday

SANOFI

Evolving Technologies for Early CLAD Diagnosis

Primary Core Therapy: Lung | Primary Practice Area: Lung Transplantation

This session compares European and North American practices in functional lung MRI and CT for early CLAD assessment. It reviews the current evidence for donor-derived cell-free DNA and complementary biomarkers, highlighting clinical strengths and limitations. The session also explores how advanced imaging and biomarkers can be integrated with pulmonary function testing to support earlier detection and longitudinal monitoring of CLAD.

Moderator

Michael McInnis, MD, FRCPC (CA), University Health Network (UHN) / University of Toronto, Toronto, ON Canada

Program

Introduction

Michael McInnis, MD, FRCPC (CA), University Health Network (UHN) / University of Toronto, Toronto, ON Canada

Advances in CT for the Detection of Early CLADn

Michael McInnis, MD, FRCPC (CA), University Health Network (UHN) / University of Toronto, Toronto, ON Canada
Provides evidence-based insights into emerging support for CT in early CLAD assessment, highlights challenges related to availability, workflow, and diagnostic relevance, and clarifies the role of CT beyond conventional spirometry and lung function studies.

Functional MRI in CLAD Detection - Emerging Evidence and Practice

Jens Vogel-Claussen, MD, PhD, Hannover Medical School / German Center for Lung Research, Hannover, Germany
Highlights recent insights into functional MRI modalities for CLAD detection, clarifies regional differences in availability, workflow, and diagnostic interpretation, and outlines the potential role of MRI beyond current standard approaches to early CLAD detection.

Emerging Biomarkers for Early CLAD Detection and Diagnosis

Berta Saez-Gimenez, MD, Vall d'Hebron University Hospital, Barcelona, Spain
Provides an overview of key biomarkers, including cfDNA, and their diagnostic relevance in early CLAD, discusses practical considerations such as baselines, variability, and discordant results, and supports clinicians in integrating biomarkers into current clinical workflows.

Moderated Panel Discussion with Q&A