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A small clinical trial out today might offer a sneak preview of a promising medical advance: organ transplants without the need for lifelong anti-rejection drugs.<\/p>\n
Doctors at the University of Pittsburgh tested out whether a novel technique could train people\u2019s immune systems to completely accept a donated liver. Several people given the treatment were able to stop taking immunosuppressant drugs and stay off them for at least three years, the trial showed. Though only preliminary, this work might lead to a much more convenient future for some organ recipients, the researchers hope.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe demonstrate that a single\u2026 infusion in adult [living-liver donor transplantation] recipients is feasible and safe,\u201d they wrote in their paper, published Friday in Nature Communications.<\/p>\n
As life-saving as a donated organ can be, it takes a toll on the recipient\u2019s body. One major reason why is the constant need for drugs that blunt the immune system\u2019s intolerance of the foreign organ. These drugs not only weaken people\u2019s defenses against infection, they also tend to steadily harm other parts of the body. And even with medication, people\u2019s donated organs still experience gradual damage from the immune system, often leading to eventual failure.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s no surprise then that scientists have long searched for better ways to minimize or fully eliminate the risk of organ rejection. This latest research revolves around regulatory dendritic cells. These cells can communicate with other immune cells to tamp down the immune system\u2019s response to antigens when needed (such as for antigens produced by the body).<\/p>\n
The study team theorized that exposing an organ recipient to these cells from their donor prior to a transplant could effectively prime the former\u2019s immune system to accept the donated organ. They decided to work with living liver transplant patients for this trial, since livers tend to be better tolerated by the host\u2019s immune system in general, according to the researchers. Livers are also one of the few organs that can be donated while living, since they can regenerate even if a piece of them is removed.<\/p>\n