Transplant News and Research

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Researchers discover two-way communication and stimulation between blood stem cells and T cells

When a transplant patient suffers complications such as graft rejection or graft-versus-host disease, physicians attempt to stop the body's immune response by targeting a patient's T cells.

13 Jul 2006

New study sets out to find why people don't donate organs

Researchers are looking for volunteers to take part in a new study to find out why there is a shortage of organ donations in the UK.

12 Jul 2006

Natural mechanism protecting tissue allografts from rejection

A molecule expressed during pregnancy seems to turn down the immune system, making it more tolerant of welcome visitors such as a fetus or maybe a transplanted heart, researchers say.

10 Jul 2006

World-first stem cell research may help male infertility

Scientists have shown for the first time that sperm grown from embryonic stem cells can be used to produce offspring.

10 Jul 2006

Research may pave the way for alternative treatments using cell replacements instead of organ transplants for those with liver failure

University of Edinburgh scientists have identified primitive liver cells -possibly dormant from the earliest developmental stage of a human being - which have the potential to mature into different cells types and help repair a failing liver.

9 Jul 2006

Researchers use proteins to 'switch on' heart tissue repair system

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine are utilizing a protein to "switch on" the ability to repair damaged heart tissue.

9 Jul 2006

Celiac success: New enzyme efficiently degrades gluten

A new enzyme originally developed for commercial food processing turns out to also quickly and nearly-completely break down whole gluten molecules as well as the T cell stimulatory peptides that cause celiac disease, a digestive disease with no current effective treatment other than avoiding wheat, barley or rye products.

5 Jul 2006

Dopamine drug leads to new neurons and recovery of function in Parkinson's

In preliminary results, researchers have shown that a drug which mimics the effects of the nerve-signaling chemical dopamine causes new neurons to develop in the part of the brain where cells are lost in Parkinson's disease (PD).

5 Jul 2006

Dopamine drug may lead to new ways of treating Parkinson's and other neurodegenerative diseases

Researchers have shown that a drug which mimics the effects of the nerve-signaling chemical dopamine causes new neurons to develop in the part of the brain where cells are lost in Parkinson's disease

4 Jul 2006

World's first face transplant hailed as a complete success

According to the French surgeons who carried out the world's first face transplant, six months down the line the operation is regarded as a complete success.

4 Jul 2006

Why does prolonged IV feeding damage the liver?

Children who cannot eat on their own because of intestinal failure must rely on parenteral nutrition (PN), an intravenous method of feeding.

3 Jul 2006

NYC's first 3-way kidney transplant

Six surgical transplant teams, including 40 clinicians, working simultaneously in six operating rooms successfully performed New York City's first three-way kidney transplant at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia.

26 Jun 2006

First full face transplant waits for the green light

If a top London hospital gets the green light from its ethical committee, the world's first full face transplant may very well be carried out in Britain.

19 Jun 2006

Circulating bone-marrow derived cells do not contribute to egg formation

Ovulated egg cells, or oocytes, in adult female mice are not formed from germ cells in the blood or bone marrow.

14 Jun 2006

Quebec's first successful combined heart/liver transplant

Doctors at the McGill University Health Center have announced Quebec's first successful combined heart/liver transplant.

9 Jun 2006

Glivec the best news yet for cancer victims

In what is great news for those suffering from chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML), the drug Glivec looks like being one of the biggest breakthroughs in cancer therapy for a years.

7 Jun 2006

SuperGen receives patent for composition and method for treating graft-versus-host disease

SuperGen has announced the issuance of U.S. Patent No. 7,037,900 B2 entitled, "Composition and Method for Treating Graft-versus-Host Disease."

5 Jun 2006

UK's first 'beating heart' transplant a success

Surgeons in the UK have successfully kept a human heart alive and beating outside the body, before it was transplanted into a patient.

4 Jun 2006

Fatigue is a major problem after liver transplantation

A new study on fatigue experienced by patients after undergoing liver transplantation found that it is a major problem that does not tend to improve with the passage of time.

1 Jun 2006

Organ-recipients' deaths prompt call for suppliers of pet rodents to screen for lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus

A case involving seven transplant recipients killed by a rodent-borne virus that they apparently acquired from donated and infected human organs has prompted a recommendation that regulatory authorities require suppliers of pet rodents to screen their colonies for the virus.

1 Jun 2006