Liver Transplant News and Research

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When a patient presents with end stage liver disease or liver failure he or she may be considered for a liver transplantation. The first step in this is often a rigorous assessment and being placed on a waiting list.

Cytonet initiates clinical trial using liver cell infusion to treat urea cycle disorders in children

International biotechnology firm Cytonet recently launched the first ever clinical trial in the United States using an investigational liver cell infusion to treat urea cycle disorders (UCD) in children. The first patient in the Phase II trial, which will seek to enroll 20 patients in 12 medical centers, is a child with citrullinemia, which is a hereditary UCD. He received six liver cell infusions on six consecutive days at Yale School of Medicine in New Haven, Conn.

15 Apr 2011

HALT-C trial reveals high mortality rates among patients with HCV

A three-year follow-up study of patients in the Hepatitis C Antiviral Long-term Treatment against Cirrhosis trial revealed that increased mortality among patients with advanced chronic hepatitis C who received long-term peginterferon therapy was attributed to non-liver related causes and occurred primarily in patients with bridging fibrosis.

8 Apr 2011

Increased mortality rates seen in chronic Hep C patients with pre-cirrhotic advanced fibrosis

A three-year follow-up study of patients in the Hepatitis C Antiviral Long-term Treatment against Cirrhosis (HALT-C) trial revealed that increased mortality among patients with advanced chronic hepatitis C who received long-term peginterferon therapy was attributed to non-liver related causes and occurred primarily in patients with bridging fibrosis. No pattern to this excess mortality was evident to researchers, but deaths were unrelated to the peginterferon treatment. Full findings are published in the April issue of Hepatology, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD).

7 Apr 2011

Donation after cardiac death may broaden the scope of organ donor selection

Findings from two new studies presented today at the International Liver CongressTM confirm that there are options for clinicians to expand the pool of liver grafts for use in patients with liver disease.

1 Apr 2011

OPO staff working with ICU team can help recover more organs from brain dead donors

More than twice as many lungs and nearly 50 percent more kidneys could be recovered for transplant operations if intensive care physicians were to work with organ procurement organization (OPO) coordinators to monitor and manage donor bodies after brain death has occurred, according to an analysis by UPMC and University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine physicians that is now in the online version of the American Journal of Transplantation.

1 Apr 2011

Diseased human hepatocytes successfully reprogrammed into induced pluripotent stem cells

Study shows, for the first time, the successful reprogramming of diseased human hepatocytes into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC).

1 Apr 2011

Study confirms D-penicillamine and trientine effective against Wilson disease

Results from the first ever European-wide retrospective analysis presented today at the International Liver CongressTM have shown both D-penicillamine and trientine continue to be effective treatments, providing positive survival rates in patients with Wilson disease free from a liver transplant.

1 Apr 2011

Merck's VICTRELIS phase III study results against HCV presented at EASL annual meeting

Merck, known as MSD outside of the United States and Canada, announced results from several new data analyses from the pivotal Phase III studies evaluating the addition of its investigational oral protease inhibitor VICTRELIS to peginterferon alfa-2b and ribavirin in adult patients with chronic hepatitis C virus genotype 1 infection.

1 Apr 2011

Positive results from Intercept OCA Phase II trial in patients with PBC

Intercept Pharmaceuticals, Inc., today announced positive results from a 59 patient, placebo controlled, double-blind Phase II clinical trial of obeticholic acid given as monotherapy to patients with primary biliary cirrhosis.

1 Apr 2011

NEJM publishes MSD's VICTRELIS two pivotal Phase III studies against HCV

MSD, known as Merck in the United States and Canada, announced today that final results from the two pivotal Phase III studies of VICTRELIS, its investigational oral hepatitis C protease inhibitor, will be published in the March 31st edition of The New England Journal of Medicine.

31 Mar 2011

Master regulators of cholesterol and fat play key role in liver fibrosis development

UCLA researchers have demonstrated that a key regulator of cholesterol and fat metabolism in the liver also plays an important role in the development of liver fibrosis - the build-up of collagen scar tissue that can develop into cirrhosis. Cirrhosis, in turn, is a major cause of premature death and is incurable without a liver transplant.

31 Mar 2011

Three-drug cocktail more effective against hepatitis C virus

A three-drug cocktail can eliminate the hepatitis C virus in patients far more effectively than the current two-drug regimen, according to researchers at Henry Ford Hospital.

31 Mar 2011

Smoking withdrawal after liver transplantation may protect against neoplasia development

Spanish researchers have found that liver transplant recipients who quit smoking have a lower incidence of smoking-related malignancies than patients who keep smoking.

30 Mar 2011

Smoking cessation after liver transplantation reduces incidence of malignancy

Spanish researchers have found that liver transplant recipients who quit smoking have a lower incidence of smoking-related malignancies (SRM) than patients who keep smoking. In fact, SRMs were identified in 13.5% of deceased patients and smoking was associated with a higher risk of malignancy in this study. Full findings are published in the April issue of Liver Transplantation, a journal of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases.

29 Mar 2011

iTherX commences ITX-5061 Phase 1b study in patients with HCV

iTherX, a pharmaceutical company dedicated to discovering and developing a new class of therapies for hepatitis C, today announced that it has commenced patient recruitment in an open-label, proof-of-concept Phase 1b study of its lead compound ITX-5061 in liver transplant patients with hepatitis C virus infection.

16 Mar 2011

EASL schedules press conference and news briefings during International Liver Congress 2011

The EASL International Liver Congress is an opportunity for over 6,000 clinicians and scientists from around the world to hear the latest research, perspectives and treatments for liver diseases from principal experts in the field. It features a high-calibre and multi-disciplinary scientific programme covering groundbreaking information and in-depth examination of the most essential topics.

14 Mar 2011

New study identifies 15 genetic regions underlying primary biliary cirrhosis

Researchers have provided new clues into the genetics underlying a chronic form of liver disease, called primary biliary cirrhosis, which can lead to transplant surgery for patients.

14 Mar 2011

Study: Alcohol abuse impacts quality of life for patients after liver transplant

A history of alcohol abuse significantly impacts quality of life for patients after liver transplant, according to researchers at Henry Ford Hospital.

10 Mar 2011

First western U.S. hand transplant surgery performed at UCLA Medical Center

Surgeons at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center performed the first hand transplant in the western United States in an operation that began one minute before midnight on Friday, March 4, and was completed 14-and-a-half hours later, on Saturday, March 5.

8 Mar 2011

Genetic variants determine severity of HCV-related graft disease and antiviral treatment response

German researchers have found a significant association of IL28B genotypes to interferon-based antiviral treatment outcome, and to graft inflammation caused by hepatitis C virus (HCV). The study determined that the presence of G-allele serves as a marker for severe HCV-induced graft inflammation, as well as a predictor for unsuccessful treatment.

3 Mar 2011

Liver Transplant News and Research

Further Reading

Cytonet initiates clinical trial using liver cell infusion to treat urea cycle disorders in children

HALT-C trial reveals high mortality rates among patients with HCV

Increased mortality rates seen in chronic Hep C patients with pre-cirrhotic advanced fibrosis

Donation after cardiac death may broaden the scope of organ donor selection

OPO staff working with ICU team can help recover more organs from brain dead donors

Diseased human hepatocytes successfully reprogrammed into induced pluripotent stem cells

Study confirms D-penicillamine and trientine effective against Wilson disease

Merck's VICTRELIS phase III study results against HCV presented at EASL annual meeting

Positive results from Intercept OCA Phase II trial in patients with PBC

NEJM publishes MSD's VICTRELIS two pivotal Phase III studies against HCV

Master regulators of cholesterol and fat play key role in liver fibrosis development

Three-drug cocktail more effective against hepatitis C virus

Smoking withdrawal after liver transplantation may protect against neoplasia development

Smoking cessation after liver transplantation reduces incidence of malignancy

iTherX commences ITX-5061 Phase 1b study in patients with HCV

EASL schedules press conference and news briefings during International Liver Congress 2011

New study identifies 15 genetic regions underlying primary biliary cirrhosis

Study: Alcohol abuse impacts quality of life for patients after liver transplant

First western U.S. hand transplant surgery performed at UCLA Medical Center

Genetic variants determine severity of HCV-related graft disease and antiviral treatment response

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