Hope for Transplants without the Anti-Rejection Drug Regimens
Scientists have developed a procedure which may help end the need for transplant patients to rely on powerful anti-rejection drugs.
The complex procedure involves mixing the patient’s infection-fighting white blood cells with cells from the donor.
One patient went eight months without immunosuppressive drugs and others were switched to low doses.
The study, by Germany’s University of Schleswig-Holstein, appears in Transplant International.
It could eventually offer patients who have had transplant surgery a much higher quality of life, free from complex drug regimes….
The new technique involves giving transplant patients an infusion of specialised cells known as a transplant acceptance-inducing cells (TAICs).
The TAICs are created by isolating a type of white blood cell from the donor, and modifying them chemically in the lab.
All preliminary, and we understand that. For the sake of the strong of spirit and courageous folks who have endured these anti-rejection medications, we wish the researchers well.
Thanks, K B
This is very, very cool. Nice post.
this is good news potentially. I just wish my mom had the benefit of this with her lung transplant. Immunosupressive drugs are currently both the help and the curse of transplant recipients. BTW please register to be an organ donor. Someone did and gave my mom a chance at a new life. thanks to all who have registered. You truly are thinking of others.
#3 Homer makes a good point. Fill in your organ donor card, and give blood.
I recently did my will again and added my organ donation wishes explicitly.
In Soviet Russia, Organ Donor, is name of POW.
# 4
It’s China.
That bag! It’s the safest camera bag you could ever have!
Here is where it all got started.
“The 15-year-old liver transplant patient is the first person in the world to take on the immune system and blood type of her donor, negating the need to take anti-rejection drugs for the rest of her life. The phenomenon, which has been documented in the New England Journal of Medicine, has amazed doctors, who say they have no idea how it occurred.”
“We didn’t believe this at first. We thought it was too strange to be true,” Dr Alexander said. “Normally the body’s own immune system rejects any cells that are transplanted … but for some reason the cells that came from the donor’s liver seemed to survive better than Demi-Lee’s own cells. It has huge implications for the future of organ transplants.”
Wild and a real interesting read.
http://tinyurl.com/3yqmm9
#7, Ah_yea, I remember reading this after New Years. A great story.
I don’t know why the mere extension of life is “a great story.” I agree our culture accepts it as that, but what is the net/net/net effect?
I’m thinking of the money and resources spent on this very complicated procedure while outside the hospital within a one mile areas 1000’s of people are doing without simple preventative medical services making their lives a complete misery.
I’m thinking about basic dentristy or eye services. Simple things.
When basics get covered, I’ll sign my organ donation card.
Interesting story.
We are an overpopulated species. We don’t need to be encouraging people to live longer than they otherwise would naturally.
@SeaLawyer – thanks for that. Having successfully had a transplant I appreciate the vote of confidence in my continued survival. I hope you receive the same in a time of need.
For the others who give a $h!), I take anti-rejection drugs (prednisone, Cell Cept, and Tacrolimus(Prograf)). I am one of the lucky ones that has almost no side effects from these. The drugs are better now and the side effects can be managed. I am encouraged by this news and would definitely switch if it were safe. In the meantime, I’m happy the transplant worked and continues to work and the drugs are not overly taxing to my system.
For any naysayers, it’s cheaper on the healthcare system to get you transplanted than be on dialysis. Of course, if you don’t want us on dialysis either, death from kidney failure is usually painful and nasty.
#6 – I need one of these for my lunchbox at work.
#9, Bobbo,
I’m not sure I agree, but that is a strong, well made comment. It has had me thinking for the past few minutes.