Hopkins researchers are examining ways to increase the viability of organs that previously might have been unable to be transplanted.
Improving Blood Flow in Donated Fatty Livers May Make Them Acceptable
Hopkins researchers discovered that fatty livers now considered unusable may be made acceptable for transplant, once additional research confirms experimental results.
Scientists discovered that bathing fatty rat livers in a human immune system protein called interleukin-6 (IL-6) rescues them from failure when transplanted into other rats. The study is reported in the July 2003, Gastroenterology. IL-6 is already approved for use in humans. Researchers will next try the technique in a porcine model before aiming for human trials.
When transplanted, so-called “fatty” livers frequently fail. But by bathing them in IL-6, the livers had better blood flow and liver function when transplanted. It is unclear how the IL-6 makes the liver function better, according to Zhaoli Sun , M.D., Ph.D., one of the researchers.
Other researchers on the project were Anna Mae Diehl, M.D, Andrew Klein, M.D., and Sumito Hoshino, all three from Hopkins, as well as researchers from the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, and the University of Science and Technology of China.
Study on Kidney Storage May Yield Additional Organs for Transplant
Researchers at Hopkins are studying whether a new portable pump can sustain kidneys better during transport than the traditional ice chest. The portable pump sends special fluids through the blood vessels.
This treatment may actually maintain viability longer. And, it could increase the availability of organs that might otherwise be discarded because of age or certain health issues of the deceased donor.
Dr. Robert Montgomery, M.D., Ph.D., of Hopkins has begun to research the theory that organs given the pump treatment with a new device will predict the usability of older and sicker donor kidneys.
In the study 300 donated kidneys will be randomly assigned either to the new pump treatment or to traditional cold storage prior to transplant. The pump will help doctors evaluate kidneys by indicating how well fluid moves through them, a predictor of how the kidney will perform in a recipient.
