University News
U of L, partners receive $2.5 million for transplant research

Oct 22, 2004

LOUISVILLE, KY - The University of Louisville, Jewish Hospital and Kleinert Kutz Hand Care Center will share a $2.5 million federal contract to continue research on reducing or eliminating immunosuppression after transplant procedures.

Sen. Jim Bunning (R-Ky.) announced the contract at a press conference Thursday at Jewish Hospital. The funds were included in the Defense Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2005, which was signed into law Aug. 5.

The money will support research being conducted at U of L and at the University of Maryland. U of L researcher Suzanne Ildstad is leading the local team, which includes Jewish Hospital and Kleinert Kutz.

Currently, transplant recipients must take immunosuppressant drugs to prevent rejection of the donated organ or tissue. Those drugs can lead to complications, including an increased risk of cancer.

Eliminating the need for immunosuppressants would reduce many of the complications, making rejection less likely and improving long-range health of the recipients. The research is critical for members of the armed forces, many of whom suffer limb injuries and deep tissue burns during combat, Bunning said.

“These funds will aid the talented surgeons and researchers at Jewish Hospital in Louisville to help those military personnel who have lost limbs in combat,” he said.

Nancy Martin, senior vice president for research at U of L, said the award shows the value of leading-edge research to the community.

When the local team performed the first hand transplant in the United States in 1999, “many people voiced concern about the risks and about what they perceived as the small number of people who could benefit from such a procedure,” Martin said. “But that surgery, and others like it, have inspired researchers to look for ways to reduce the risk of transplantation surgery.”

Martin pointed out that other benefits of the federal contract include the possibility of more funding down the road, increased teaching and learning opportunities for U of L faculty and students and potential economic development opportunities if the researchers can develop successful treatments.

Joanne Berryman, senior vice president of Jewish Hospital Healthcare Services, said the research also could lead to the team playing a larger role in treating injured soldiers either at Jewish Hospital or through a partnership between Jewish and Ireland Army Hospital at Fort Knox.

“I guess you could say we’ve been called to active duty,” she said.