Robert Montgomery, MD: Immunology, Pig Organs, and the Future of Transplantation

In this episode, Mitch Belkin and Daniel Belkin speak with Robert Montgomery, MD, DPhil, about his background, family history of cardiomyopathy, as well as his work in immunology and transplantation. They discuss the 3 types of organ rejection, how to manage and prevent rejection, porcine endogenous viruses, as well as Dr. Montgomery's work on xenotransplantation. This podcast was recorded on February 4th, 2022.

Who is Robert Montgomery?

Dr. Robert Montgomery is a Professor of Surgery and the chair of the Department of Surgery at NYU Langone as well as the director of the NYU Langone Transplant Institute. He received his MD from the University of Rochester School of Medicine and completed his surgical residency, multi-organ transplant fellowship, and post-doctoral fellowship in Human Genetics at Johns Hopkins. He also received a Doctorate of Philosophy in molecular immunology from the University of Oxford. He’s been the recipient of many awards including the Johns Hopkins Clinician Scientist Award, the Champion of Hope Award from the National Kidney Foundation of Maryland, and the Terasaki Medical Innovation Award from the National Kidney Registry.

Dr. Montgomery developed the first laparoscopic kidney procurement technique for transplants as well as the first “domino paired donation” -- which is when two or more donors and recipients are paired in a kidney swap. He helped develop a protocol combining kidney and bone marrow transplants to prevent rejection of donor organs in immune-incompatible patients which has eliminated the need for immunosuppressive therapy in some patients. In September 2021, Dr. Montgomery performed the first xenotransplantation of a nonhuman kidney to a deceased human donor.

References:

• Robert Montgomery - Wikipedia page
• NYU article on Dr. Montgomery 
• Dr. Montgomery - Review of HLA in transplantation
• Washington Post article on UMD xenotransplant patient (2022)
• Carmen - Full Opera - with English Subtitles

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What is the External Medicine Podcast?

The External Medicine Podcast explores some of the most exciting ideas in medicine. Co-hosted by Daniel Belkin, MD, and Mitch Belkin, MD.