New Stem Cell Therapies Could Change Organ Transplants

via The Washington Post

Three reports published in the January 24 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine highlight potential therapies that may one day allow organ transplant recipients to no longer need immunosuppressive drugs. Two of the researchers’ studies involved "tricking" the immune system into thinking the organ had come from the recipient by transplanting donor stem cells into the recipient. In one of the studies, four of five patients who had HLA-mismatched kidney transplants were able to stop taking immunosuppressive drugs nine to 14 months after the transplant. Kidney function has stayed stable for up to 5.3 years since the transplantation. The researchers indicate extensive research still must be done to ensure these procedures are safe and effective for larger populations.