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New Treatment Lets Three Transplant Patients Stop Anti-Rejection Drugs
Summary
Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh reported that three of eight liver transplant recipients who received donor dendritic cells have been off anti-rejection drugs for at least three years, and the study was published in Nature Communications.
Content
Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh reported a small clinical study testing donor dendritic cells to induce immune tolerance in liver transplant recipients. Three of eight patients have been off anti-rejection drugs for at least three years. The team worked with living liver donors and timed an infusion of the donor's dendritic cells before the transplant. The study builds on decades of research into tolerance induction and was published in Nature Communications.
Key findings:
- Three of eight study participants were able to stop anti-rejection medications and remain drug-free for at least three years.
- The trial used donor dendritic cells given to recipients; with living donors the cells were infused before the transplant to prime the immune system.
- Outcomes varied: some patients remained on low-dose medications or did not achieve sustained drug withdrawal, and the first enrolled patient later died of unrelated causes.
- The study notes that livers are relatively well tolerated compared with other organs, and 13–15 percent of liver recipients can stop immunosuppression after several years without this intervention.
- Anti-rejection drugs carry long-term risks such as increased infection, cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and kidney damage.
Summary:
The study provides evidence that donor dendritic cells can induce tolerance in some liver transplant recipients and allow withdrawal of immunosuppression in a subset of patients. Results were mixed across the eight participants, so broader effectiveness is not established. Researchers mentioned the method might be adapted for deceased donors by infusing donor cells about a week after transplant, and further testing and validation are undetermined at this time.
