Kidney Transplant News and Research

RSS

A kidney transplant is an operation where a healthy kidney from one person (the donor) is transferred to a person who has little or no kidney function (the recipient).

Adolescent patients who received kidney transplant appear to be at increased risk for transplant failure

Patients who received their first kidney transplant at ages 14 to 16 years appear to be at increased risk for transplant failure, with black adolescents having a disproportionately higher risk of graft failure, according to a report published by JAMA Internal Medicine, a JAMA Network publication.

30 Jul 2013

NIH expands CRIC study to identify risk factors for progression of early stage CKD

Researchers from the Chronic Renal Insufficiency Cohort study are embarking on another five years of work to identify risk factors for progression of early stage chronic kidney disease, better understand the importance of reduced kidney function in older persons, and learn what role CKD may play in other illnesses that require hospitalization. CRIC is supported by the National Institutes of Health.

30 Jul 2013

Study shows obese kidney failure patients derive survival advantage from transplantation

Most obese individuals with kidney failure can prolong their lives by receiving a kidney transplant, although this survival benefit is lower in severely obese individuals. That's the conclusion of a new study published in the American Journal of Transplantation.

25 Jul 2013

Report shows that fatal rabies virus is transmitted through transplanted kidney

An investigation into the source of a fatal case of raccoon rabies virus exposure indicates the individual received the virus via a kidney transplant 18 months earlier, findings suggesting that rabies transmitted by this route may have a long incubation period, and that although solid organ transplant transmission of infectious encephalitis is rare, further education to increase awareness is needed, according to a study in the July 24/31 issue of JAMA.

24 Jul 2013

FDA approves Astellas' ASTAGRAF XL for prophylaxis of organ rejection in kidney transplant patients

Astellas Pharma US, Inc., a U.S. subsidiary of Tokyo-based Astellas Pharma Inc., announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved ASTAGRAF XLTM (tacrolimus extended-release capsules) for the prophylaxis of organ rejection in patients receiving a kidney transplant with mycophenolate mofetil and corticosteroids, with or without basiliximab induction.

20 Jul 2013

3-gene signature test will improve care of kidney transplant patients

A breakthrough non-invasive test can detect whether transplanted kidneys are in the process of being rejected, as well as identify patients at risk for rejection weeks to months before they show symptoms, according to a study published in The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM).

4 Jul 2013

Research: Systemic dose of dendritic cells prevent rejection in kidney transplantation

A single systemic dose of special immune cells prevented rejection for almost four months in a preclinical animal model of kidney transplantation, according to experts at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.

1 Jul 2013

African-Americans with Medicaid are less likely to receive LKT than patients with private insurance

African-Americans with Medicaid as their primary insurance were less likely to receive a living kidney transplant (LKT) than patients with private insurance, according to a new study by researchers at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center.

21 Jun 2013

Data points to potential role of immunosuppression in protecting organs from inflammation after injury

In the largest study of its kind, physicians from the Department of Surgery at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center at the University of Maryland Medical Center have determined that outcomes for traumatic injury in patients with organ transplants are not worse than for non-transplanted patients, despite common presumptions among physicians.

11 Jun 2013

Greenwall Foundation names Peter Reese as 2013 Greenwall Faculty Scholar in Bioethics

The Greenwall Foundation has named Penn Medicine's Peter Reese, MD, MSCE, a leading voice for improving organ donor rates and access to transplant, as a 2013 Greenwall Faculty Scholar in Bioethics.

10 Jun 2013

New test to predict increased risk of death, hospitalization among kidney dialysis patients

Johns Hopkins scientists report that a 10-minute test for "frailty" first designed to predict whether the elderly can withstand surgery and other physical stress could be useful in assessing the increased risk of death and frequent hospitalization among kidney dialysis patients of any age.

29 May 2013

Improved communication could help with end of life decision making, suggests BIDMC research

In any given year, 400,000 Americans suffering from end-stage kidney disease will undergo dialysis, and as many as 20 to 25 percent of those dialysis patients will die, a statistic comparable to many types of cancer.

28 May 2013

OPKO reports more than 50% enrollment in phase 3 trial of Rayaldy for treatment of secondary hyperparathyroidism

OPKO Health, Inc., has surpassed 50% enrollment in the first phase 3 trial of RayaldyTM to treat patients with secondary hyperparathyroidism (SHPT), stage 3 or 4 chronic kidney disease (CKD) and vitamin D insufficiency.

24 May 2013

Kidneys discarded for transplant can be used for manufacturing replacement organs, say researchers

Nearly 20 percent of kidneys that are recovered from deceased donors in the U.S. are refused for transplant due to factors ranging from scarring in small blood vessels of the kidney's filtering units to the organ going too long without blood or oxygen. But, what if instead of being discarded, these organs could be "recycled" to help solve the critical shortage of donor organs?

21 May 2013

Robotic transplantation may reduce health disparities for obese patients with chronic kidney failure

Obese patients who received robotic kidney transplants had fewer wound complications than patients who received traditional "open" transplant surgery, according to surgeons at the University of Illinois Hospital & Health Sciences System.

17 May 2013

Study suggests need for better anti-rejection therapies

Transplant researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine challenge a long-held assumption about how biologic pathways trigger immune system rejection of donor organs in a report published online today in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.

16 May 2013

Study finds disparity in live-donor kidney transplants in African Americans

While the percentage of kidney transplants involving live donors has remained stable for other minority populations, African Americans have seen a decline in live donors even as more of them receive kidney transplants, according to a study by Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit.

9 May 2013

Study finds decrease in mortality rates among children initiating ESKD treatment with dialysis

In a study that included more than 20,000 patients, there was a significant decrease in the United States in mortality rates over time among children and adolescents initiating end-stage kidney disease treatment with dialysis between 1990 and 2010, according to a study in the May 8 issue of JAMA.

5 May 2013

Veloxis seeks EMA approval to market LCP-Tacro for kidney transplant patients

Veloxis Pharmaceuticals A/S today announced that it has submitted a Marketing Authorization Application to the European Medicines Agency seeking approval to market LCP-Tacro for the prevention of organ rejection in kidney transplant patients in the European Union.

29 Apr 2013

U.S. files suit against Novartis in alleged kickback scheme

The suit accuses the drugmaker of giving pharmacies discounts and rebates to promote the use of the drug Myfortic.

25 Apr 2013