Researchers create new drug to reduce inflammation of donor organ after transplantation

To reduce the number of discards and thus make more kidneys available, researchers and medical scientists from the European consortium MABSOT have created a new drug called OPN-305 to reduce inflammation of the donor organ after transplantation.

Every year nearly 50.000 dialysis patients worldwide receive a kidney transplant, but depending on the type of donor between 20 to 60% of the implanted kidneys are not working. The reason: a complication called "Delayed graft function" (DGF) which can even lead to acute rejection and organ failure.

Now researchers from the MABSOT (Monoclonal Antibody Solid Organ Transplantation consortium) are putting their forces together to minimize the incidences of DGF. Opsona Theurapeutics in Dublin, Ireland, developed a new drug called OPN-305. The humanized protein is directly active against the TLR-receptor 2, which is involved in the inflammatory response triggering DGF during transplantation.

The first clinical trial, with 139 patients from Europe and the USA, seem promising. If the results are successful, in the future the new therapy could not only be used in renal transplantation, but also in heart, lung or other solid organ transplantation.