Alba Torija, pre-doctoral researcher at the Vall d'Hebron Research Institute (VHIR) Nephrology research group, has won the prize awarded by the Catalan Transplantation Society for the best oral communication at its XVI Congress. The work has been carried out in collaboration with the Nephrology and Transplantation service of the Vall d'Hebron University Hospital, the University of Bellvitge, the University of Montpellier and the Pure MHC of Oklahoma (United States).In this edition, in which Catalan solid organ transplantation professionals met online, twenty oral communications have been presented on studies on kidney and pancreas, liver, heart, lung transplants and donations, and on immunology and infections, category of the field of basic research in which Torija participated.The winning communication, entitled https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rzTn2BWwV_Y Circulating and intragraft specific B cells against the donor drive antibody-mediated rejection in patients with solid organ transplantation, explains Dr. Torija's study, focused on observing all those cells and mechanisms that participate in the formation of immunity and antibodies against the donor, which will lead to rejection of the transplanted organ."To obtain this award is to see recognized all the effort thrown into investigating this serious problem for transplant patients, who will be able to see their options for success improved", says Alba Torija.The role of B lymphocytes in heart and kidney rejectionThe analysis characterizes the response against the donor in different cellular compartments of humoral immunity, both in kidney and heart transplant patients who were at the time of rejection when the samples were collected. Furthermore, these same donor-specific B cells infiltrated in the transplanted kidneys of a pair of humoral rejection patients have also been identified."Our study highlights the important role of donor-specific B cells in chronic and acute antibody-mediated rejection in both heart and kidney transplant patients. These lymphocytes are the main producers of donor-specific antibodies (DSA), which are closely related to a poor prognosis of the patient. The study of these cell types located in different tissues such as bone marrow, peripheral blood, spleen, or the transplanted organ itself if it is in the process of rejection, is essential to understand the immune response against the donor and create new biomarkers and therapeutic targets to prevent or stop graft rejection", according to Alba Torija herself.Beyond these oral conferences, many other events and symposia were held during the three days of the Congress, which dealt with different aspects that influence transplantation, such as obesity, cognitive impairment or the use of new therapies and the most advanced diagnostic tools.