Kidney Transplant News and Research

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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).

First Edition: April 24, 2013

Today's headlines include stories about the health law's implementation as well as health policy developments from Capitol Hill.

24 Apr 2013

Study finds racial differences in end-of-life care for patients receiving chronic dialysis

At the end of life, black patients with kidney failure receiving chronic dialysis are less likely to be referred to hospice and to discontinue dialysis compared with white patients, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.

12 Apr 2013

Johns Hopkins scientists create Web-based tool to help patients decide on kidney transplantation

Johns Hopkins scientists have created a free, Web-based tool to help patients decide whether it's best to accept an immediately available, but less-than-ideal deceased donor kidney for transplant, or wait for a healthier one in the future.

11 Apr 2013

Vitamin D deficiency may decrease kidney function in transplant recipients

Vitamin D deficiency may decrease kidney function in transplant recipients, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (JASN). The finding suggests that vitamin D supplementation may help improve the health of kidney transplant recipients.

30 Mar 2013

Study shows race and geographic area play important roles in patient with chronic kidney disease

Race and geographic area play important roles in determining whether a patient with chronic kidney disease receives optimal care before developing kidney failure, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.

15 Mar 2013

New research report on paired kidney exchanges and chain transplants

An additional 1,000 patients could undergo kidney transplants in the United States annually if hospitals performed more transplants using paired kidney exchanges, new Johns Hopkins research suggests.

14 Mar 2013

Studies show protein semaphorin 3A helps detect acute kidney injury

A guidance cue that helps kidneys form may also be a red flag that they are in danger, researchers report.

13 Mar 2013

OPKO Health acquires Cytochroma

OPKO Health, Inc. announced that it has completed the acquisition of Cytochroma Inc. Cytochroma's lead products include CTAP101 Capsules, a vitamin D prohormone to treat secondary hyperparathyroidism (SHPT) in patients with stage 3 or 4 chronic kidney disease (CKD) and vitamin D insufficiency, and Fermagate Tablets, a new and potent non-absorbed phosphate binder to treat hyperphosphatemia in CKD patients on chronic hemodialysis.

4 Mar 2013

Anti-LG3 associated with high rate of organ rejection during transplantation

A team led by Dr. Marie-Jos-e H-bert from the University of Montreal Hospital* Research Centre (CRCHUM) has discovered a new cause of organ rejection in some kidney transplant patients. Her team has identified a new class of antibodies - anti-LG3 - which when activated lead to severe rejection episodes associated with a high rate of organ loss.

28 Feb 2013

Combined complement mutations affect individuals' risk of aHUS and prognosis

Certain gene mutations affect individuals' risk of developing a serious kidney condition, as well as their prognosis after being diagnosed with the disease, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (JASN).

22 Feb 2013

FDA approves Novartis’ Zortress to prevent organ rejection after liver transplantation in adults

Novartis announced today that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Zortress (everolimus) for the prophylaxis of organ rejection in adult patients receiving a liver transplant.

16 Feb 2013

Donor liver quality: an interview with Dr Eric Orman

Liver transplantation is a surgical procedure in which a liver (or part of a liver) is removed from a donor and placed into a recipient. Although some transplants use a portion of the liver of living donors, the vast majority of donors are deceased.

6 Feb 2013

African-Americans without private health insurance less likely to receive kidney transplants

African-Americans and individuals without private health insurance are less likely than others to receive a kidney transplant before requiring dialysis, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (CJASN).

1 Feb 2013

Delaware District Court rules in favor of Pfizer in RAPAMUNE patent case

Pfizer Inc. said today that the United States District Court for the District of Delaware ruled that Pfizer's patent covering a method for using sirolimus, the active ingredient in RAPAMUNE®, for the inhibition of organ transplant rejection is valid and infringed.

31 Jan 2013

Minimally invasive islet transplantation reverses progression of atherosclerosis in type 1 diabetics

Minimally invasive islet transplantation for patients with type 1 diabetes achieves insulin independence and reverses the progression of atherosclerosis in the first few years after transplant, according to a University of Illinois at Chicago study.

29 Jan 2013

Women taking tacrolimus drug can breast feed their babies

Women taking the immunosuppressant tacrolimus can rest assured that breast feeding will not elevate their babies' exposure to the drug, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (CJASN).

24 Jan 2013

Galectin Therapeutics' GR-MD-02 reverses diabetic nephropathy in preclinical study

Galectin Therapeutics, the leading developer of therapeutics that target galectin proteins to treat fibrosis and cancer, today announced new preclinical data on the efficacy of anti-galectin therapy on diabetic kidney disease.

23 Jan 2013

Atrial fibrillation increases risk of kidney failure in people with CKD

Many people who suffer from chronic kidney disease progressively lose their kidney function over time and eventually develop a condition called end-stage renal disease - the complete failure of the kidneys - placing them in need of lifelong dialysis or a kidney transplant.

18 Jan 2013

Thermo Scientific QMS Everolimus Assay Kit receives CE Mark for liver transplant application

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., the world leader in serving science, today announced that its Thermo Scientific QMS Everolimus Assay Kit has been CE marked for sale in the European Union for a third application, namely liver transplants.

From Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. 16 Jan 2013

SLU researchers examine health outcomes for obese transplant recipients

In a research review article published in the American Journal of Nephrology, Saint Louis University investigators examined data from multiple studies to better understand how obesity, an epidemic in the U.S., impacts kidney transplant patients.

16 Jan 2013