Donor's immune cells used to prevent rejection without drugs

Wouldn't it be wonderful not to have to take anti-rejection drugs? Transplant recipients know the daily routine with drugs (I take up to 35 pills daily) and it can be a real hassle at times. This new technique of borrowing stem cells from the donor's bone marrow to trick the recipient's body into thinking the new organ is part of their body is amazing and bodes well for the future. This initial research involves a small study of kidney transplants and if larger studies prove successful recipients of other organs such as heart, lungs and livers, etc. could also benefit.

Researchers celebrate trial’s lasting success

Monday, March 5th, 2012
By Alexis Garduno

Researchers from the Stanford School of Medicine gathered with patients Sunday to celebrate a successful clinical trial that tested an alternative to the immunosuppressant drug regimen that patients must normally follow after a transplant procedure.

“If one were able to make to make every transplantation a reality in the 20th century, the goal for the 21st century should be to do it without drugs,” said Samuel Strober, an associate professor in the immunology and rheumatology department.

Traditionally, patients who receive transplants must take immunosuppressant drugs to prevent their own immune systems from attacking the new organ because the immune system recognizes it as foreign.

In order to prevent the transplant recipient’s body from attacking the new organ without a drug regimen, the researchers suppressed each patient’s immune system via radiation therapy and then introduced some of the donor’s immune cells into the recipient’s immune system via the thymus and peripheral lymphoid tissue. Introducing immune cells from the donor prevented the recipient’s immune system from recognizing the transplanted organ’s cells as foreign and attacking the tissue.

This alternative, which worked in 12 of 15 kidney transplant patients who participated in the trial, would eliminate the potential to contract drug-induced toxicity that can result from taking the immunosuppressant drugs. It would also eliminate the cost of the immunosuppressant drugs for patients, which can run anywhere from $20,000 to $120,000 over a patient’s lifetime.

Patients on the traditional immunosuppressant regimen may experience negative side effects, such as increased susceptibility to infection. Some ultimately reject their donated organ.

“In patients using drugs nowadays, half of transplants will be lost over a couple of months,” Strober said.

One of the study participants, John Every, former vice president of the University of Pacific and an early participant in the trial, received his kidney transplant 11 years ago on his birthday, what he refers to as the “best birthday present.” Although Every eventually had to return to a lower dosage of one of his previous drugs, he said he is grateful for how the team’s research improved his quality of life.

Likewise, Karen Burke, who received her kidney transplant in 2006, also benefited from the grant funded by the National Institutes of Health, without which she said she could not have afforded her treatment. As her kidneys declined to 12 percent of their full functionality, she met with her nephrologist John Scandling, director of kidney and pancreas transplantation at the School of Medicine, who recommended she undergo an organ transplant. Since the trial, Burke has remained off immunosuppressant drugs and lives in Modesto with her two daughters.

“What’s the best drug? No drug,” said Stephan Busque, director of the adult kidney and pancreas transplant program

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Your generosity can save or enhance the lives of up to fifty people with heart, kidneys, liver, lungs, pancreas and small intestine transplants (see allotransplantation). One tissue donor can help by donating skin, corneas, bone, tendon, ligaments and heart valves

Has your life been saved by an organ transplant? "Pay it forward" and help spread the word about the need for organ donation - In the U.S. another person is added to the national transplant waiting list every 11 minutes and 18 people die each day waiting for an organ or tissue transplant. Organs can save lives, corneas renew vision, and tissue may help to restore someone's ability to walk, run or move freely without pain. Life Begins with You.

Liver `kills immune cells`

"We now know liver cells also have the ability to subvert the orders of the immune system. Our discovery might explain why liver transplants have lower rejection rates than other organ transplants."

Defence troops - T-cellszeenews.com
Washington: Scientists claim to have found that liver can kill immune cells, a finding which they claim may pave the way for new approaches to transplant rejection, and fight against hepatitis and other chronic liver diseases.

An international team, led by the University of Sydney, says it has for the first time seen in mice how the liver goes independent, engulfing and destroying body`s defence troops --T-cells.

"In 2004, we discovered that healthy liver cells can engulf active immune cells, known as T-cells and now we`ve seen that those T-cells are actually destroyed," Dr Patrick Bertolino, who led the team, said.

He added: "The liver is an amazing organ. Most people think it just breaks down alcohol, but it`s the factory of the body -- breaking down substances we don`t want and making the ones that we do.

"We now know liver cells also have the ability to subvert the orders of the immune system. Our discovery might explain why liver transplants have lower rejection rates than other organ transplants."

In their research, the scientists proved found healthy mouse liver cells eating T-cells, which was unexpected as this "cell cannibalism" had only previously been seen in tumour cells.

One potential benefit of the research is reducing rejection in organ transplants, say the scientists.

In transplantations, the new organ is seen by the body as a foreign object: the spleen or lymph nodes tell naive T-cells to replicate and turn into killer T-cells, which are sent off to invade and kill the "foreign" cells.

What the scientists have discovered is the liver goes around this process -- liver cells signal to naive T-cells and digest them before they have a chance to become killer T-cells.

Team member Geoff McCaughan said the cocktail of immunosuppressive drugs that organ transplant patients receive reduce the odds of organ rejection but makes patients` immune systems weak, leaving them open to serious infection from otherwise minor illnesses like cold or flu. These drugs also predispose the patient to long term heart disease and cancer.

"If we can harness the way the liver controls T-cells, then longterm there is a chance that transplant patients won`t need these drugs," he said.

The findings have been published in the `Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences` journal.

“You Have the Power to Donate Life – Sign-up today! to become an organ and tissue donor
Tell Your Loved Ones of Your Decision”

Australia, register at Australian Organ Donor Register

New Zealand, register at Organ Donation New Zealand

Canada - Ontario beadonor.ca
other Canadian provinces

South Africa, http://www.odf.org.za/

United States, organdonor.gov

United Kingdom, register at NHS Organ Donor Register

Your generosity can save or enhance the lives of up to fifty people with heart, kidneys, liver, lungs, pancreas and small intestine transplants (see allotransplantation). One tissue donor can help by donating skin, corneas, bone, tendon, ligaments and heart valves

Has your life been saved by an organ transplant? "Pay it forward" and help spread the word about the need for organ donation - In the U.S. another person is added to the national transplant waiting list every 11 minutes and 18 people die each day waiting for an organ or tissue transplant. Organs can save lives, corneas renew vision, and tissue may help to restore someone's ability to walk, run or move freely without pain. Life Begins with You