Stem cells used in transplants may eliminate antirejection drugs

Stem cells used in transplants may eliminate antirejection drugs

http;//wvwi/. news-medical.net/news/20111028/Novel-stem-cells-method-may-elirninateneed-
for-antirejection-drugs-in-transplants.aspx

Researchers from the University of Washington, Seattle have pioneered a
new method of transplanting hand and face tissue without long-term
immunosuppressant therapy. With transplanted tissues, patients are kept
on immunosuppressant drugs that cost $25,000 per year. The drugs have
many side effects and are needed every day. When an organ is necessary
to save someone's life, the transplant is considered worth taking the
immune-suppressing drugs. The researchers started with dog tissue
transplants with the goal of developing a clinical model that will work for
human facial and hand transplants.

The surgeons performed both a vascularized composite allograft (tissue
with the blood vessels intact) transplant and a stem cell transplant at the
same time on four dogs. The immune-suppressing drugs were discontinued
after one month. One dog rejected the stem cell transplant after 10 weeks,
but tolerated the allograft for over one year. The other dogs tolerated both
procedures for over a year without any immunosuppression therapy. A
separate group of dogs had vascularized composite allografts without a
simultaneous stem cell transplant and all rejected the transplants after the
immunosuppressing drugs were discontinued. The researchers plan to study
if they can do this procedure with unmatched tissue types. So far all the
surgeries had been done with matched tissue types.

This article covers interesting work. Developing this new technique may
eventually help so many people, maybe even burn victims and people
that need replacement internal organs. And if they are able to do so without
needing an exact match, people won't have to wait as long for an organ
donation. I think the research