Reconstructive Transplant

Reconstructive transplantation, also known as vascularized composite allotransplantation (VCA), is the transfer of an external feature or limb from one individual to another. This includes transplanting skin, muscles and tendons, nerves, bone and blood vessels. Reconstructive transplants have been performed on hands, faces, abdominal walls, and other parts of the body.

Currently at the Johns Hopkins Comprehensive Transplant Center, we are working specifically with patients in need of hand, arm, and face transplants, giving them new opportunities and hope for the future. We are also studying a protocol that could significantly limit the number of immunosuppressive drugs that transplant patients must take to prevent rejection over the course of their lifetime. For more information on these studies, please click on one of the links below:

Videos

#TomorrowsDiscoveries: Reconstructive Transplantation – Gerald Brandacher, M.D.

Gerald Brandacher, M.D., and his team are developing strategies to minimize or avoid the need for immunosuppressive drugs.

#TomorrowsDiscoveries: Survival Rate After a Transplant – Giorgio Raimondi, Ph.D.

Giorgio Raimondi, Ph.D., and his lab are developing new multi-disciplinary approaches to find out why our bodies naturally recognize transplanted tissue as dangerous and try to destroy it.

2018 marks the 50th anniversary of the first heart and kidney transplants performed at The Johns Hopkins Hospital. As we celebrate 50 years of lifesaving solid organ transplant at Johns Hopkins, we also acknowledge major milestones for the reconstructive transplant program.