WHERE NEW LIFE TAKES ROOT: NUCOT HONOURS THE LEGACY OF ORGAN DONORS

The 'Tree of Life: Where New Life Takes Root' project is a befitting prelude to the landmark International Liver Transplantation Society (ILTS) Annual Congress 2025, led by NUCOT

SINGAPORE, May 28, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The National University Centre for Organ Transplantation (NUCOT) has launched the inaugural Tree Planting Legacy Project, 'Tree of Life: Where New Life Takes Root' at the National University Hospital (NUH), to commemorate the invaluable sacrifices made by organ donors, and to raise awareness about the life-changing impact of organ donation.

Each tree planted will symbolise a living tribute – just as a tree grows strong from its roots, the gift of organ donation creates ripples of hope, renewal, and gratitude across generations. Apart from NUH, trees have also been planted at Ng Teng Fong General Hospital, Alexandra Hospital and Woodlands Health, as a collective gesture of support for organ donors.

More than 400 people in Singapore are currently on the national waiting list for an organ transplant, according to Live On.

Living organ donation, in particular, can shorten a recipient's wait and improve patient outcomes. At public transplant centres, over 90 per cent of liver transplant patients do well one year after surgery. Research^[1] shows that receiving a living-donor liver confers a significant survival advantage and living donor liver transplantation recipients have more favourable outcomes^[2], as compared to recipients of deceased donor liver transplants.

"Trees symbolise renewal and a new lease of life, made possible through the precious gift of organ donation," says Adjunct Associate Professor Mark Muthiah, Medical Director & Senior Consultant, Adult Liver Transplantation Programme, NUCOT, NUH, who is also the Local Co-chair of the ILTS Scientific Programming Committee 2025. "Through concerted efforts in public education and advocacy, we hope that more individuals will consider being organ donors."

Shaping the future of liver transplantation

The 'Tree of Life: Where New Life Takes Root' project is held in conjunction with the ILTS Annual Congress 2025 (the Congress) from 28 to 31 May 2025 — the first time the Congress is being hosted in Southeast Asia. It will be officiated by Guest of Honour Professor Kenneth Mak, Director-General of Health, Ministry of Health.

Spearheaded by NUCOT at NUH and supported by the SingHealth Duke-NUS Liver Transplant Centre and Mount Elizabeth Hospital, the Congress will serve as a vital catalyst for driving innovations in liver transplantation, fostering collaboration, and connecting the global liver transplant community.

Associate Professor Alfred Kow, Senior Consultant, Adult Liver Transplantation Programme, NUCOT, NUH and Local Chair of the ILTS Scientific Programming Committee 2025 said: "Today, through the dedication of our healthcare community and continuous technological advancements - from ABO-incompatible transplants to minimally invasive techniques for living donor liver transplantation, we have developed  one of the most mature liver transplant ecosystems in the Southeast Asian region, with outcomes comparable to international centres.

"We are honoured to host the Congress and to contribute to the global effort by sharing best practices, strengthening partnerships, learning from the international community, and advancing the field of liver transplantation together."

Embracing innovation, honouring pioneers

A distinctive highlight of this year's Congress is the comprehensive transformation of the programme, to foster greater collaboration across the globe. In line with the theme of "Advancing Liver Transplantation: Embracing Innovation for the Future", local experts such as Professor Dean Ho, Provost's Chair Professor and Director of the Institute for Digital Medicine at the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, will delve into the role of AI-driven precision medicine, in transforming the decision-making process for liver transplantation.

At the Congress, novel innovations such as minimally invasive surgeries and next-gen solutions involving biomaterials and biosensors will be presented. In recognition of the growing role of allied health professionals (AHPs) in liver transplantation, there will also be a workshop designed to engage AHPs around the world, facilitating an exchange of insights into their diverse responsibilities and offering an opportunity to share best practices.

In the spirit of the event, the 2025 ILTS Distinguished Service Award will be conferred at the opening ceremony, upon two eminent trailblazers in the field: Professor Sung-Gyu Lee, from Asan Medical Center, who pioneered living donor liver transplantation using a modified right robe graft for the first time globally in 1999, and Professor Lo Chung-mau, the Secretary of Health of the Government of Hong Kong. Professor Lo was the chair of Hepatobiliary & Pancreatic Surgery at The University of Hong Kong.

The Congress will also feature 60 scientific sessions and more than 200 presentations from a distinguished lineup of leading experts from around the world, who will share their insights across the breadth of liver transplantation science and practice.

Professor Nazia Selzner, President of ILTS and Professor Valeria Mas, ILTS President-Elect and Chair of the ILTS Scientific Programming Committee 2025 will also be attending the Tree Planting Legacy Project, alongside representatives from NUH and organ donors and recipients.

For more information on the ILTS Annual Congress 2025, please visit https://ilts-congress.org/.

Chinese Glossary

About the National University Hospital

­­The National University Hospital (NUH) is Singapore's leading university hospital. While the hospital at Kent Ridge first received its patients on 24 June 1985, our legacy started from 1905, the date of the founding of what is today the NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine. NUH is the principal teaching hospital of the medical school.

Our unique identity as a university hospital is a key attraction for healthcare professionals who aspire to do more than practise tertiary medical care. We offer an environment where research and teaching are an integral part of medicine, and continue to shape medicine and transform care for the community we care for.

We are an academic medical centre with over 1,200 beds, serving more than one million patients a year with over 50 medical, surgical and dental specialties. NUH is the only public and not-for-profit hospital in Singapore to provide trusted care for adults, women and children under one roof, including the only paediatric kidney and liver transplant programme in the country.

The NUH is a key member of the National University Health System (NUHS), one of three public healthcare clusters in Singapore. For more information, visit www.nuh.com.sg

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