Overview
- The Nature Communications study published Friday reports that a pre-transplant immune-cell infusion let several living-donor liver recipients stop anti-rejection drugs.
- Doctors made regulatory dendritic cells from each donor’s blood and infused them into the recipient one week before surgery to train the immune system to accept the new liver.
- Of 13 patients treated, eight qualified for weaning at one year, four fully withdrew medication, and three have stayed off it for more than three years, a 37.5% success rate among those tested versus about 13% historically.
- Researchers call the findings exploratory because the study was small and not designed to prove efficacy.
- If future trials cut or end long-term immunosuppression, patients could avoid kidney damage, infections, some cancers, diabetes, and other drug harms.