How Current and Future Approaches and Research Results Contribute to Evolve the Field of Vascularized Composite Allotransplantation

Looking back at a history of more than 25 years of vascularized composite allotransplantation (VCA), we are at a 'critical' point. What will be the future of VCA? Although functional factors remain the most important outcome parameters in VCA, psychosocial, bioethical and other issues and outcomes gain more and more attention and contribute to evolve the field. Considering the international experience of more than 25 years of VCA, recent research highlights that psychosocial and bioethical factors are the most important ones, particularly setting the patient itself in the center of multidisciplinary research approaches.
The goal of this Frontiers Research Topic is to discuss current and ongoing investigations on psychosocial and other issues (e.g. bioethical considerations, informed consent and decision making, etc.) in vascularized composite allotransplantation (VCA) and how these factors contribute to evolve the field. Research from the past 25 years has shown that if VCA procedures will become clinical routine they have to be evolved, setting the candidates/patients in the center of research. VCA procedures aim for more than functional restoration and outcomes, these procedures help to restore the dignity of patients, and are associated with many more multidimensional factors that are discussed in this Frontiers Research Topic.
This collection of papers (Research Topic) should consist of the following types of manuscripts: review, policy and practice review, perspective, and brief research report. Particularly, the submission of original articles would be highly appreciated, presenting recent research innovations in this field, e.g. psychosocial and bioethical research initiatives to investigate important factors in the field of VCA.
The scope of this research brings all global experts together, working on a high impact Frontiers’ Research Topic, can only be realized by a fee free publication plan for the guest editors.