Feature Channels: Transplantation

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In a commentary published in the Jan. 4 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, UC Davis researcher William Murphy expressed cautious optimism about efforts to genetically engineer hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) to temporarily resist cell death during transplantation. While these gene therapy approaches could dramatically improve patient outcomes, Murphy argues that their risks must be carefully studied in diverse models.

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After watching a brief educational video, members of the public are more likely to say they would be willing to donate a facial transplant to a severely disfigured patient, reports a study in the January issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery®, the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS).

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Tyler Williamson went to TEDx Birmingham’s 2017 event in March expecting to be inspired and to network and make new connections with fellow attendees. What the 27-year-old did not anticipate was that inspiration would lead him to volunteer to become a living kidney donor just seven months later.

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Three months after receiving a kidney transplant, Holly Miyagawa was back on the beach playing volleyball. That was 17 years ago. Since then, the Hermosa Beach, CA, resident has gone on to medal in volleyball at the World Transplant Games and the Transplant Games of America. This New Year's Day, she'll accompany the Donate Life float in the Tournament of Roses Parade, representing Cedars-Sinai, where she received her transplant.

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Hackensack Meridian Health Bayshore Medical Center is proud to announce that it has expanded services to include cochlear implant surgery to help individuals with moderate to profound hearing loss who are not receiving enough benefit from a hearing aid or aids. Cochlear implants replace the function of damaged inner ears and are designed to mimic natural hearing.

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• In a trial of kidney transplant recipients with late antibody-mediated rejection, treatment with bortezomib, a type of proteasome inhibitor, failed to improve the function of transplanted kidneys and prevent immunologic tissue injury. • Bortezomib treatment was also linked with gastrointestinal and hematologic toxicity.

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Around 17% of American adults have chronic kidney disease (CKD), and the rate of prevalence is higher for US Veterans. CKD, if not treated appropriately, can ultimately lead to kidney failure requiring either dialysis or a transplant.

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A study by researchers at Mayo Clinic’s campus in Jacksonville, Florida has found that barriers to patients receiving stem cell therapy as part of their treatment for multiple myeloma include income, education, insurance status and access to care at an academic center or facility that treats a high volume of patients.

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NYU Langone launches a new heart transplant program.

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Immunotherapy agents known as checkpoint inhibitors have shown considerable promise in patients with hematologic cancers who relapse after a transplant with donor stem cells. Preliminary results from the first clinical trial in these patients of one such agent – nivolumab – indicate that along with signs of effectiveness, it also produced significant side effects at the dose initially studied. The findings indicate a need for further clinical trials in this group before being considered for off-label use with these patients, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute investigators report.

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Results from a phase 2 clinical trial, presented by Seattle Children’s Research Institute at the 59th American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting, show that the drug Abatacept (Orencia) nearly eliminated life-threatening severe acute graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) in patients receiving hematopoietic stem cell transplants.

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The hope given from a deceased donor, and a sibling, give two kidney transplant recipients a chance to live

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• In an analysis of pairs of kidneys from the same donor in which 1 kidney was used but the other was discarded, the kidneys that were used tended to perform well. • The majority of discarded kidneys could have potentially been transplanted with good outcomes.

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2-year-old Children's Hospital Los Angeles patient Pierce Kelly beats leukemia thanks to a stem cell donor in France and inspires thousands of potential donors.

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A team of researchers led by the University of Minnesota has 3D printed lifelike artificial organ models that mimic the exact anatomical structure, mechanical properties, and look and feel of real organs. These patient-specific organ models, which include integrated soft sensors, can be used for practice surgeries to improve surgical outcomes in thousands of patients worldwide.

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The first child to undergo a successful hand transplant also is the first child in whom scientists have detected massive changes in how sensations from the hands are represented in the brain. The brain reorganization is thought to have begun six years before the transplant, when the child had both hands amputated because of a severe infection during infancy. Notably, after he received transplanted hands, the patient’s brain reverted toward a more typical pattern.

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For the first time in Brooklyn, a procedure has been performed implanting a patient’s own insulin-producing pancreatic cells ("islets") after the total removal of pancreas.

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Researchers argue that the “donor-priority rule” might create unintended consequences because it provides a stronger incentive to individuals who are more likely to seek a transplant in the future. The supply might increase, but at the risk of potentially reducing the quality of organs.

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Social media is a powerful tool that can help people facing health challenges, such as Native Americans on kidney dialysis.

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Slight changes to the system for allocating deceased-donor kidneys could result in higher rates of organ procurement and lead to more kidney transplants across the country, according to new research co-authored by an Indiana University Kelley School of Business professor.

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Being able to build a bioartificial pancreas offers the potential to cure type 1 diabetes. A major challenge with the effort is how to supply the structure with enough oxygen to keep the cells alive. Now, new research suggests that oxygen-generating compounds found in some laundry detergents may play a key role.

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Seven years ago Cincinnati Children’s scientists first used pluripotent stem cells to mimic natural human development and grow working human intestine in a lab. Today medical center doctors can bioengineer the gastrointestinal tissues of sick children to find clues about a child’s disease and how to treat it. Cincinnati Children’s is building on this early research advancement in personalized medicine by launching the Center for Stem Cell and Organoid Medicine (CuSTOM).

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New national research led by Jonathan Lass, MD of Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center has found that corneal donor tissue can be safely stored for 11 days before transplantation surgery to correct eye problems in people with diseases of the cornea. This is four days longer than the current conventional maximum of seven days in the United States.

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The use of lungs from donors older than age 60 has been shown to achieve reasonable outcomes and should be considered as a viable option.

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Rural counties continue to rank lowest among counties across the U.S., in terms of health outcomes. A group of national organizations including the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the National 4-H Council are leading the way to close the rural health gap.

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• From 2004 to 2016, VA patients had lower rates of transplantation compared with patients with Medicare or private insurance. • VA patients also had a higher rate of mortality on the waiting list compared with privately insured patients. • Results from the study will be presented at ASN Kidney Week 2017 October 31–November 5 at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans, LA.

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• In a recent analysis, African American patients were less likely to be wait-listed than White patients.  This difference was influenced by factors including age, comorbidities, socio-economic status, being on dialysis, having a living donor, transplant knowledge, and social support. • Results from the study will be presented at ASN Kidney Week 2017 October 31–November 5 at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans, LA.

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A new study explains how a widely used drug is effective against inflammatory bowel disease and rejection of bone marrow transplants, while suggesting another way to address both health issues.

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Germ-killing robots are being enlisted to further safeguard Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) patients from health care-associated infections.

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Minority women are far less likely to undergo breast reconstruction than white women, even if they live in the same area and have similar insurance.

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• In a recent analysis of individuals on dialysis for at least 10 years, those who then received a kidney transplant lived longer than those who stayed on dialysis. • Transplant recipients were at higher risk of death for 180 days after transplantation, however, and they did not derive survival benefit until 657 days after transplantation.

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For younger patients with severe damage to the rotator cuff muscles, a "reverse" shoulder replacement provides lasting improvement in shoulder function, according to a study in The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery. The journal is published in partnership with Wolters Kluwer.

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Tim Ervin drew in a deep breath and flawlessly performed the National Anthem before an 18,000-plus crowd at the Dallas Mavericks game – fulfilling a lifelong dream that almost never came true.

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This month, Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) performed its 2,000th liver transplant, another milestone for one of the largest liver transplant programs in the Southeast.

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A new study presented this week at The Liver Meeting® — held by the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases — found that increased utilization of split liver transplantation (sharing a donor liver between one pediatric and one adult patient) could decrease the number of children who die awaiting liver transplantation without decreasing liver transplantation access for adult patients.

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Use of liver organs from selected hepatitis C positive donors should be considered due to modest risk of hepatitis C transmission and the availability of safe and effective direct‐acting antiviral therapies, according to research presented this week at The Liver Meeting® — held by the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases.

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A new study presented this week at The Liver Meeting® – held by the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases – found that the overall number of pregnancies in women with chronic liver disease or following liver transplantation has risen over the past 30 years. In addition, the proportion of full‐term pregnancies has increased significantly over that time period, and most women had favorable pregnancy outcomes.

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Wearable sensors are revolutionizing the tech-world, capable of tracking processes in the body, such as heart rates. They’re even becoming fashionable, with many of them sporting sleek, stylish designs. But wearable sensors also can have applications in detecting threats that are external to the body. Researchers now report in ACS Sensors a first-of-its kind device that can do just that. And to stay fashionable, they’ve designed it as a ring.

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A rare cancer in patients with breast implants may be on the rise, but not all patients and physicians may be aware of the risks associated with the procedure, according to a group of Penn State College of Medicine researchers.

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The Geoffrey O. Hartzler Master Clinical Operator Award will be presented to Alec Vahanian, MD, in a ceremony on October 31st at the 29th Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT) conference in Denver, Colorado. TCT is the annual scientific symposium of the Cardiovascular Research Foundation (CRF). The award is given each year to a physician who has advanced the field of interventional cardiovascular medicine through technical excellence and innovation. TCT Directors, Martin B. Leon, MD, and Gregg W. Stone, MD, will present the award.

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Myron Schwartz, MD, the Henry Kaufmann Professor of Surgery at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and Director of Liver Surgery at the Recanati/Miller Transplantation Institute, has been named as the 2017 Physician of the Year by the American Liver Foundation’s Greater New York Division.

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• From 2008-2015, the number of kidneys donated after circulatory death that were obtained by the country’s 58 donor service areas varied substantially. • The outcomes associated with these organs were generally excellent. • The use of these organs could be increased if “cold ischemia times” are limited.

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The opioid epidemic has created a tragic surge in donor organs. But despite their safety record, hundreds of these organs that could save lives go unused, according to an analysis of transplant trends.

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On October 4, NewYork-Presbyterian is celebrating Organ Donor Enrollment Day by launching a new campaign to educate New Yorkers about the need for organ donations and encourage people across the state to become organ donors.

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The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded two five-year grants to Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center worth more than $5 million to prospectively study the effects of a genetic variation in organ donors that appears to contribute to survival of kidneys after transplantation.

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The first code of ethical behavior for sharing videos of plastic surgery on social media -- written by Northwestern Medicine authors -- will be published in the Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Journal Sept. 28 and presented Oct. 6 at the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) annual meeting in Orlando.

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Cystic fibrosis patient Fanny Vlahos was pregnant when she caught pneumonia and her lung function declined drastically. By the time her son was four months old, Mrs. Vlahos was tethered to an oxygen tank and too weak to pick him up. But a double lung transplant has enabled Mrs. Vlahos to breathe easily again.

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A new UCLA-led study published in the September issue of the peer-reviewed journal Transplantation traces how the first three “kidney voucher” cases led to 25 lifesaving kidney transplants across the United States.

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Leukemia survivor Jeffrey Hoffman owes his life to a complete stranger who altruistically donated bone marrow cells for Mr. Hoffman's successful bone marrow transplant. "It was a very noble thing to do," Mr. Hoffman said. On September 10, 2017, Mr. Hoffman (left) met his donor, Zachary Gold (right), for the first time, during Loyola Medicine's Bone Marrow TransplantCelebration of Survivorship. About 400 patients, family members, caregivers, donors, doctors and nurses attended the annual event at Loyola’s Cardinal Bernardin Cancer Center.