Researchers at University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine have found a way to prolong kidney transplant survival in monkeys using donor dendritic cells (DCs). DCs are regulators of the immune system, responsible for both immune response and tolerance. In order to promote immune tolerance, the scientists prevented donor DCs from fully maturing and treated a group … Continue reading Dendritic Cell Therapy Improves Kidney Transplant Survival
Diary of a Kidney Lover: Exciting Transplant & Donation News
Hello, readers! It’s good to be back. As you know, the Kidney Lover adores kidneys. And when she finds a story that combines kidneys and creative thinking, then a-blogging she must go. You may have read our recent research blog about bioengineered rat kidneys. Scientists at Massachusetts General Hospital begin this innovative process by stripping … Continue reading Diary of a Kidney Lover: Exciting Transplant & Donation News
Scientists Bioengineer Functioning Rat Kidneys
Researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital have succeeded in growing bioengineered kidneys in the lab and implanting them into rats. To create the functioning organs, they began by using a detergent solution to strip rat kidneys of their existing cells. This resulted in a collagen scaffold, where a variety of cell types were delicately introduced to … Continue reading Scientists Bioengineer Functioning Rat Kidneys
Ventura County TRIO Chapter Hosts Talk on Improving Blood Pressure
Transplant Recipients International Organization (TRIO) Ventury County West Valley Chapter is hosting a free seminar open to all transplant recipients/candidates, dialysis patients waiting for a transplant, medical professionals and family members on Saturday, March 16, 2013 from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m at the Calabasas Tennis and Swim Center located at 23400 Park Sorrento in … Continue reading Ventura County TRIO Chapter Hosts Talk on Improving Blood Pressure
UKRO and Rep Schiff Discuss Protecting NIH Funding from Sequestration Cuts
Yesterday UKRO President, Ken Kleinberg, Vito Campese, M.D., Chief of Nephrology of the Keck School of Medicine of USC, and kidney researcher Alicia McDonough, Ph.D., met with Representative Adam Schiff to ask for his help in preventing sequestration cuts that would severely limit NIH funding for research. Speaking on behalf of UKRO and the USC/UKRO … Continue reading UKRO and Rep Schiff Discuss Protecting NIH Funding from Sequestration Cuts
Race and Insurance Big Factors in Assessment for Kidney Transplant
UC San Francisco and Emory University researchers analyzing data from 2005 to 2009, have found that race and insurance are major factors in assessment for kidney transplantation. They discovered that young black patients (less than 35 years of age) and patients without private health insurance were less likely to be assessed as candidates for kidney … Continue reading Race and Insurance Big Factors in Assessment for Kidney Transplant