New hope for organ transplantation from pigs
New research presented at the European Society of Organ Transplantation (ESOT) Congress has revealed that the human immune system can be prevented from rejecting a transplanted pig kidney by mapping in detail how it interacts with pig kidney tissue.
According to Science Daily, scientists from the Paris Institute of Transplantation and Organ Regeneration and the Langone Transplantation Institute of New York University have identified important findings regarding the early signs of the human body's rejection of a kidney transplant.
The study observed that the first molecular signs of the immune system's organ rejection process began just 10 days after the transplant and reached a peak on the 33rd day, while a critical treatment window that could slow down the progression of rejection was identified during a total of 61 days of follow-up.
Scientists used advanced computer techniques to separate human immune cells from other cells in pig kidneys.
The researchers were able to clearly see which areas of the transplanted kidney the immune cells were attacking, and thanks to this information, they observed that the special treatments they tried greatly reduced the symptoms of organ rejection.
According to the researchers, the findings pave the way for more advanced treatment protocols to increase success rates in pig-to-human organ transplants.
"Our study provides the most detailed molecular map yet of how the human immune system interacts with the pig kidney," said Dr. Valentin Goutaudier, lead author of the study.
Goutaudier emphasized that in this way, treatment strategies aimed at preventing rejection can be developed more accurately.
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