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).

Mass. reports on people who buy insurance only when sick; Wash. board considers aiding consumers get 'Plan B' referrals; ACLU sues R.I. over electronic records

The Boston Globe: "The number of people who appear to be gaming the state's health insurance system by purchasing coverage only when they are sick quadrupled from 2006 to 2008, according to a long-awaited report released yesterday from the Massachusetts Division of Insurance. The result is that insured residents of Massachusetts wind up paying more for health care, according to the report. … The report was released as state lawmakers consider proposals to make it harder for consumers to jump in and then dump their health insurance coverage" (Lazar, 6/30).

1 Jul 2010

First Edition: June 30, 2010

Today's headlines highlight the results of a new tracking poll that indicate that the health reform law has gained popularity among Americans while implementation advances for overhaul initiatives such as high-risk pools and the early retiree reinsurance program.

30 Jun 2010

UIC reports first successful robotic kidney transplant in morbidly obese patient

Surgeons at the University of Illinois at Chicago report the first successful robotic kidney transplant in a morbidly obese patient.

16 Jun 2010

European Commission grants Orphan Medicinal Product Designation for QPI-1002

Quark Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a world leader in the discovery and development of RNAi-based therapeutics, today announced that the European Commission has granted Orphan Medicinal Product Designation for QPI-1002 (also referred to as "I5NP") for the prophylaxis of delayed graft function in kidney transplant patients.

16 Jun 2010

Alexion's Soliris may benefit patients with thrombotic microangiopathy from uncontrolled complement activation

Researchers reported today that Soliris® (eculizumab), a first-in-class terminal complement inhibitor developed by Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc., may provide clinical benefits to patients with thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA) resulting from uncontrolled complement activation. TMA, the formation of blood clots in capillaries and small arteries, can lead to life-threatening damage in multiple organs including kidney failure, thrombocytopenia (abnormally low platelet count) and anemia.

15 Jun 2010

CLC-5 protein plays active part in inherited kidney disorder: Scientists

Scientists from the University of Leeds have discovered the mechanisms of a protein known to play an active part in the inherited kidney disorder, Dent's disease. The findings provide a new focus for future therapies for the disease, for which there is currently no cure.

15 Jun 2010

Montefiore-Einstein announces Abdominal Organ Transplant Symposium on June 10, 2010

The Montefiore-Einstein Abdominal Organ Transplantation Service will hold an Abdominal Organ Transplant Symposium on Thursday, June 10, 2010 from 7:30 am - 4:30 pm at the Moses Division of Montefiore Medical Center on Gun Hill Road in the Bronx, NY.

4 Jun 2010

Grassroots awareness and education programs increase minority organ and tissue donations: Study

Minority organ donations have more than doubled since the institution of grassroots awareness and education programs, according to a new retrospective study published in the May issue of the Journal of the American College of Surgeons. In 2010, the percentage of minority donors is expected to reach 35 percent, up from approximately 15 percent in 1990.

3 Jun 2010

Researchers identify pattern of gene expression in kidney transplant recipients who don't need anti-rejection drugs

Researchers have identified a distinct pattern of gene expression in the largest reported group of kidney transplant recipients who have not rejected the transplant kidneys even though they stopped taking anti-rejection drugs. This finding may help identify other transplant recipients who could safely reduce or end use of immunosuppressive therapy. In 2008, more than 80,000 people in the United States were living with a kidney transplant.

31 May 2010

Weill Cornell Medical College commences construction of 18-story, $650 million Medical Research Building

Weill Cornell Medical College today celebrated the start of construction on its new Medical Research Building, a state-of-the-art facility that will more than double the institution's existing research space. The 18-story, $650 million building is the centerpiece of Weill Cornell's $1.3 billion Discoveries that Make a Difference Campaign, the country's largest for a medical college. A total of $1 billion has been raised toward this goal in a record time of less than four years.

27 May 2010

Transplant centers should utilize DCD kidneys to minimize patients’ mortality rates

In the United States over 80,000 people are on the kidney transplant waiting list, and thousands die each year waiting for transplants. For most dialysis patients, kidney transplantation increases their chances of survival.

21 May 2010

Compatibility between donated kidney's weight and weight of recipient improves success of transplantation

Receiving an organ low in weight in relation to the recipient's body weight increases kidney transplant recipients risk of complications and transplant failure, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society Nephrology (JASN). The results suggest that compatibility between a donated kidney's weight and the weight of the recipient could improve the success of transplantation.

21 May 2010

Chronic kidney disease patients with depression have poorer health outcomes: Researchers

Patients with chronic kidney disease who have been diagnosed with depression are twice as likely to be hospitalized, progress to long-term dialysis treatments or die within a year as those who are not depressed, UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers have found.

20 May 2010

Immunosuppressive drug sirolimus improves kidney health of patients with ADPKD: Study

The immunosuppressive drug sirolimus considerably improves the kidney health of patients with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society Nephrology.

14 May 2010

Steroids can raise cardiovascular risks in post-transplant patients

Post-transplant patients who have been removed from a corticosteroid regimen have fewer cardiovascular events than those patients on steroids, increasing their graft survival rates and reducing early mortality, according to study results being presented this week by University of Cincinnati (UC) transplantation researchers.

10 May 2010

Quark to present poster on predicting risk of DGF following machine perfusion of renal transplants at ATC 2010

Quark Pharmaceuticals, Inc., the world leader in clinical development of RNAi-based therapeutics, announced today the presentation of a poster at the 2010 American Transplant Congress titled, "A Nomogram for Predicting Risk of Delayed Graft Function Following Machine Perfusion of Renal Transplants."

5 May 2010

Argos Therapeutics announces presentations on sCD83 protein capabilities at 2010 American Transplant Congress

Argos Therapeutics today announced two oral presentations detailing data on its soluble CD83 (sCD83) protein program at the 2010 American Transplant Congress, held May 1-5 in San Diego. The data, which were produced by Argos in collaboration with scientists from the University of Western Ontario, demonstrate that sCD83 is capable of inducing immune system tolerance to transplant grafts and suppressing an anti-donor antibody response, via a multi-faceted mechanism-of-action that impacts B and T cells, as well as dendritic cells.

5 May 2010

Belatacept preserves kidney function in transplant recipients better than cyclosporine, says study

Two-year results from phase III clinical trials show the experimental immunosuppressive drug belatacept can better preserve kidney function in kidney transplant recipients while preventing graft rejection when compared with the standard immunosuppressive drug cyclosporine.

3 May 2010

FDA issues complete response letter for Bristol-Myers Squibb's belatacept

Bristol-Myers Squibb Company today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has issued a complete response letter regarding the Biologics License Application for belatacept in kidney transplantation.

3 May 2010

Heart and liver transplant recipients at higher risk of developing lung cancer: Researchers

Heart and liver transplant recipients are at particularly high risk of developing lung cancer after receiving the donated organ, researchers report at the 2nd European Lung Cancer Conference. They are advising doctors to screen for such cancers in these patients to maximize the chance of detecting the malignancy early.

3 May 2010

Kidney Transplant News and Research

Further Reading

Mass. reports on people who buy insurance only when sick; Wash. board considers aiding consumers get 'Plan B' referrals; ACLU sues R.I. over electronic records

First Edition: June 30, 2010

UIC reports first successful robotic kidney transplant in morbidly obese patient

European Commission grants Orphan Medicinal Product Designation for QPI-1002

Alexion's Soliris may benefit patients with thrombotic microangiopathy from uncontrolled complement activation

CLC-5 protein plays active part in inherited kidney disorder: Scientists

Montefiore-Einstein announces Abdominal Organ Transplant Symposium on June 10, 2010

Grassroots awareness and education programs increase minority organ and tissue donations: Study

Researchers identify pattern of gene expression in kidney transplant recipients who don't need anti-rejection drugs

Weill Cornell Medical College commences construction of 18-story, $650 million Medical Research Building

Transplant centers should utilize DCD kidneys to minimize patients’ mortality rates

Compatibility between donated kidney's weight and weight of recipient improves success of transplantation

Chronic kidney disease patients with depression have poorer health outcomes: Researchers

Immunosuppressive drug sirolimus improves kidney health of patients with ADPKD: Study

Steroids can raise cardiovascular risks in post-transplant patients

Quark to present poster on predicting risk of DGF following machine perfusion of renal transplants at ATC 2010

Argos Therapeutics announces presentations on sCD83 protein capabilities at 2010 American Transplant Congress

Belatacept preserves kidney function in transplant recipients better than cyclosporine, says study

FDA issues complete response letter for Bristol-Myers Squibb's belatacept

Heart and liver transplant recipients at higher risk of developing lung cancer: Researchers

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

Expanding access to NMR with the Fourier 80 Duo

Advancing Intracellular Delivery with LumiPore®

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