FDA approves testing of cellular therapy designed to bolster tolerance of transplanted organs
Suzanne Ildstad, M.D.
The holy grail of transplantation -- allowing a patient to develop a natural tolerance to a transplanted organ while maintaining immunity to disease -- could soon be within reach.
UofL transplant surgeons and researchers recently received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for a new therapy for heart and kidney transplant patients that may offer just this type of tolerance.
The trial, developed by Suzanne Ildstad, M.D., professor of surgery and director of the Institute for Cellular Therapeutics at UofL, will test whether transplanting specially treated bone marrow -- along with the heart or kidney from the same donor -- will induce tolerance to the new organ and eliminate the need for immunosuppressive drugs.
"The drugs have so many side effects," said Ildstad, whose position is funded by Jewish Hospital and the Research Challenge Trust Fund. "Inducing tolerance will dramatically improve the quality of life for transplant patients."
Side effects of anti-rejection medications include high blood pressure, gastro-intestinal discomfort, increased risk of infection, liver and kidney dysfunction, and increased risk of developing cancers.
"We would all like to see the day when patients no longer need to take a number of medications on a daily basis to keep their transplanted organ," said Colleen Wilson, director of transplant services at Jewish Hospital, where the surgeries will take place.
"Often patients are sent home from the hospital with 10 to 15 different medications. This new procedure could potentially greatly reduce that number."
Ildstad will work with surgeons Rob Dowling, M.D., and Frederick R. Bentley, M.D., in the clinical trials. The surgeons hope to perform two heart transplants and two kidney transplants each month using the new therapy.
