TABLE 4.

Suggested recommendations to transplant teams for research priorities for the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, and planning and preparedness for future pandemics

Research priorities for the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic	• Assess safety of use of SARS-CoV-2–positive donors.
	• Determine optimal vaccination regime for SOT recipients.
	• Determine efficacy of novel treatments in a vaccinated population.
	• Assess potential demand and indications for lung transplantation for post–COVID-19 pulmonary fibrosis.
	• Prioritize methods to maintain wellbeing of transplant teams.
Planning and preparedness for future pandemics	• Early assessment and consensus derivation on the likelihood of donor-derived infection transmission for example, based on plausibility of blood borne or respiratory transmission.
	• Advocacy for rapid nucleic acid testing of potential organ donors and recipients.
	• Early identification of resources that allow safe continuation of transplant programs without overlap with resources caring for patients with active infection, for example, ring-fenced transplant unit and intensive care beds and operating theaters.
	• Development of risk prediction tools/calculators that utilize simulation and machine-learning approaches to assist in decision making by transplant centers.
	• Advocacy for SOT recipients to be included in clinical trials of novel vaccines and antiviral treatments or clinical trials exploring novel or repurposed treatments.
	• Establish national and international registry linkages to enable real-time assessment of infection and mortality risk in SOT recipients and waitlisted patients.
	• Establish infrastructure for organ donation and transplant organizations from across the world to collaborate as a consortium to rapidly derive clinical and patient facing consensus guidance.

COVID-19, coronavirus disease 2019; SARS-CoV-2, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; SOT, solid organ transplant.