Achieving immune tolerance has been a longstanding goal in the field of transplant medicine, aiming to eliminate the negative aspects of anti-rejection treatments for organ transplant recipients. A preliminary study presents potential progress by utilizing cells from living liver donors to train the recipients’ immune systems to recognize the transplanted organs as their own, thereby fostering healthier outcomes.
Living liver donations leverage the organ’s regenerative capability, allowing donors to give a portion of their liver and eventually have it regrow. Recipients gain sufficient liver function from the partial organ, which also grows, to replace livers impaired by various conditions such as alcohol-related liver disease, metabolic liver disease, liver cancer, or other issues. While immunosuppressive medication prevents organ rejection, it also increases susceptibility to infections and some cancers, with serious side effects including diabetes and kidney damage.
Previously, cell therapy aimed to neutralize the immune system’s response by using regulatory T cells from donors. In the latest study, published Friday in Nature Communications, researchers utilized regulatory dendritic cells derived from donors’ white blood cells and cultured in a laboratory. Both therapies share the objective of educating the recipient’s immune cells to recognize the transplanted liver segment as native tissue rather than a foreign threat.
This article is exclusive to STAT+ subscribers
Unlock this article — plus in-depth analysis, newsletters, premium events, and news alerts.
Already have an account? Log in
View All Plans
To read the rest of this story subscribe to STAT+.
Subscribe
