To print: Select File and then Print from your browser's menu --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Title: Donor Cells in Recipient's Blood Help Them Tolerate New Organs URL: http://www.pslgroup.com/dg/25DA6.htm Doctor's Guide May 9, 1997
LONDON, ENGLAND -- May 9, 1997 -- In patients who have had organ transplants, microchimerism (the presence of cells from the donor in the recipient's blood) is thought to be essential to the development and maintenance of immunological tolerance. In The Lancet this week, Dr. Eric T Elwood and colleagues from Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, report results that show clearly that these cells can persist in the recipient's blood and have an affect on tolerance. Thirty transplant recipients of either liver, kidney, or kidney and pancreas were enrolled into the study. Blood samples were taken before the operation, which were analysed by a genetic technique to identify patient-specific genes associated with organ tolerance and to make sure that the recipients were free from a similar gene in the donors. After transplantation, blood was tested for donor-specific genes that had been passed on during the operation. Blood was also tested at three days, and one, three, six, and 12 months after transplantation to see whether the presence of donor genes in the blood was persistent. Sixteen (32%) of the 19 patients had microchimerism 12 months after transplantation, but only two of all the patients had detectable microchimerism at all follow-up analyses, showing that the proportion of microchimerism can vary over time. When the proportion of microchimerism is low, acute episodes of rejection are thought to occur, but the authors did not find such an association. This could have an effect on whether lifelong immunosuppressive drugs are necessary for transplant patients. The authors point out that, because of fluctuations in microchimerism, "analysis of microchimerism with a single, post-transplant analysis may not help in making clinical decisions for individual patients." This report is accompanied by a commentary by David Adams and Ian Hutchinson from the Liver Research Laboratories at the University of Birmingham, UK. They highlight the point that "the failure of microchimerism to predict tolerance means that it cannot be used alone as a clinical marker of patients from whom it is safe to withdraw immunosuppression." --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright © 1999 P\S\L Consulting Group Inc. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of P\S\L content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of P\S\L. P\S\L shall not be liable for any errors, omissions or delays in this content or any other content on its sites, newsletters or other publications, nor for any decisions or actions taken in reliance on such content. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This news story was printed from *Doctor's Guide to the Internet* located at http://www.docguide.com --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Return to News Story Page This site is maintained by webmaster@pslgroup.com Please contact us with any comments, problems or bugs. All contents Copyright (c) 1998 P\S\L Consulting Group Inc. All rights reserved.