Prolonging life of transplanted organs
By Julianna Photopoulos
Researchers at the MRC Centre for Transplantation at King's College London will perform clinical trials of a drug treatment that could double the life of transplanted organs.
The treatment, developed by Dr Richard Smith and his team, involves a manufactured protein called mirococept that acts as a shield and protects organs from the immune system. "We have engineered a protein to combat organ damage during transit outside the human body and immediately after transplantation," said Dr Smith, director of the Protein Therapeutics Laboratory at King's College.
Shield
Proteins are found on the surface of organs that allow the immune system to function properly and prevent it from launching an attack. However, when organs are removed from the body and stored on ice, these proteins are lost. The King's College team found a method to manufacture these proteins and produce the drug to work as a protective shield.
The procedure itself involves coating the donor organ in mirococept for 20 minutes, preventing the patient's immune system from rejecting the new organ.
Even though people who receive transplants take drugs to suppress their immune system, also known as immunosuppressives, the body still reacts to the transplants, causing them to fail. This results in patients needing another donor organ before the end of life of the donated organ. For example, transplanted kidneys on average last only 10 years, whereas they could last for almost triple that time.
Double life
"If the treatment goes to plan, it can be expected to almost double the life of a graft," said Professor Steven Sacks, Director of the MRC Centre for Transplantation. "There will be a higher proportion of immediate function of donor organs, and organs will be less inflamed therefore immunosuppresion will be less likely," he added.
This new treatment will not only extend the life of donor organs in patients' bodies, but will also increase their shelf life, allowing them to be stored for a longer time and transported further before being used.
Donor organs will be able to survive outside the body from 24 hours to several days. "With this treatment, there will be an increase in the number of organs transplanted," explained Professor Sacks.
Last year, 8,000 people were on the waiting list for kidney transplants in the UK, but only 2,500 operations were carried out. In the past year, 448 patients died while waiting for an organ.
The trial is expected to start next year and the treatment could be available in hospitals in five years.
Researchers at the MRC Centre for Transplantation at King's College London will perform clinical trials of a drug treatment that could double the life of transplanted organs.
The treatment, developed by Dr Richard Smith and his team, involves a manufactured protein called mirococept that acts as a shield and protects organs from the immune system. "We have engineered a protein to combat organ damage during transit outside the human body and immediately after transplantation," said Dr Smith, director of the Protein Therapeutics Laboratory at King's College.
Shield
Proteins are found on the surface of organs that allow the immune system to function properly and prevent it from launching an attack. However, when organs are removed from the body and stored on ice, these proteins are lost. The King's College team found a method to manufacture these proteins and produce the drug to work as a protective shield.
The procedure itself involves coating the donor organ in mirococept for 20 minutes, preventing the patient's immune system from rejecting the new organ.
Even though people who receive transplants take drugs to suppress their immune system, also known as immunosuppressives, the body still reacts to the transplants, causing them to fail. This results in patients needing another donor organ before the end of life of the donated organ. For example, transplanted kidneys on average last only 10 years, whereas they could last for almost triple that time.
Double life
"If the treatment goes to plan, it can be expected to almost double the life of a graft," said Professor Steven Sacks, Director of the MRC Centre for Transplantation. "There will be a higher proportion of immediate function of donor organs, and organs will be less inflamed therefore immunosuppresion will be less likely," he added.
This new treatment will not only extend the life of donor organs in patients' bodies, but will also increase their shelf life, allowing them to be stored for a longer time and transported further before being used.
Donor organs will be able to survive outside the body from 24 hours to several days. "With this treatment, there will be an increase in the number of organs transplanted," explained Professor Sacks.
Last year, 8,000 people were on the waiting list for kidney transplants in the UK, but only 2,500 operations were carried out. In the past year, 448 patients died while waiting for an organ.
The trial is expected to start next year and the treatment could be available in hospitals in five years.
search this section
