Three children with a rare genetic disease needed a transplant, and by using a unique transplantation technique, doctors were able to replace their kidneys without having to use immune-suppressing drugs.
After receiving a transplant, recipients are usually required to take immunosuppressive drugs for the rest of their lives to prevent the immune system from rejecting the organ. This places organ recipients at an increased risk for infections and cancer, and even then, the immune suppressing agents don't eliminate the risk that the body will reject the organ anyway.
In order to reduce or eliminate the need for immunosuppression, doctors have tried to transplant stem cells from the donor's bone marrow into the recipient. The bone marrow-borne stem cells mature into different types of blood cells, including immune cells that flag foreign material in the body. Since the stem cells come from the donor, the body of the transplant recipient would be familiar with the new organ and thus less likely to reject it. Stem cell transplants can carry a big risk if the recipient's immune cells inadvertently attack the transplant recipient's body from the inside.
None of the three patients who underwent the procedure have experienced severe graft- versus-host disease nor have they needed long-term immunosuppression, according to the team.
The first pig heart transplant has ended in death.
The director of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center's transplant program told NBC News that the research was ground-breaking.
A child with a rare immune disease was one of the transplant recipients. A stem cell transplant is required for this condition because it causes bone marrow failure. In the new study, a parent became a stem cell and organ donor for their child. The stem cell transplant was done first. Once the child had recovered from the transplant, the same parent's organ was given to the child.
The patients have been living with their new organs for over two years. According to the statement, the lead author of the study said that they are doing everything. The people are having normal lives.
SIOD is not needed by all three children.
Jessica Davenport said that her kids are walking miracles. They're paving the way for other families to experience the same things we have.
The FDA approved the technique for dual immune/solid organ transplant on May 27th. In the future, the protocol will be approved as a treatment option for many other people who need a transplant. They plan to look into the use of an adaptation of Disot for other transplants.
It was originally published on Live Science
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