Recent stories about older living kidney donors, including some with medical issues, are truly inspiring and encouraging given the organ shortage. In an interesting article, Stephen Textor, M.D., Professor of Medicine at Mayo Clinic, describes his experience with donors with moderate essential hypertension, who would normally be excluded from donating. – Medical Abnormalities Need Not … Continue reading Older Living Kidney Donors in the News
UKRO to Sponsor Rider on 2012 Donate Life Rose Parade Float
We’re excited to announce that UKRO will be sponsoring a rider on the 2012 Donate Life Rose Parade float. Next year’s parade theme, “Just Imagine…” pairs perfectly with the Donate Life float theme of “…One More Day,” envisioning a dream day when past moments are recaptured and new memories are made – “when donor families … Continue reading UKRO to Sponsor Rider on 2012 Donate Life Rose Parade Float
Cancer Drug May Help Stop Recurring FSGS in Kidney Transplant Patients
Researchers at University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, collaborating with a team of doctors and surgeons, have uncovered how the drug Rituximab, normally used to treat non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, rheumatoid arthritis, and chronic lymphocytic leukemia, also works to prevent FSGS from recurring in children and young adults with kidney transplants. The drug appears to bind … Continue reading Cancer Drug May Help Stop Recurring FSGS in Kidney Transplant Patients
Gene Impacts Donor Kidney Survival, Could Increase CKD Risk
Researchers at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center have discovered that variations in a gene called APOL1 explain why transplanted kidneys from some African American donors don’t last as long as others. The study showed that 2 copies of the recessive gene hindered kidney survival. The genetic anomaly, affecting 10 to 12 percent of African Americans, … Continue reading Gene Impacts Donor Kidney Survival, Could Increase CKD Risk
Cell Therapy May Eliminate Need for Transplant Drugs
Scientists from the University of Oxford, University College London, and the Karolinska Institute in Sweden have discovered a way to manipulate and grow regulatory T cells that will stop organ rejection in mice. The technique involves extracting T cells from the subject as well as cells from the donor organ and culturing them in a … Continue reading Cell Therapy May Eliminate Need for Transplant Drugs
The Debate Over Kidney Transplants and Rationing
By now you have probably heard of the national proposal to change the way kidneys are allocated – bypassing the traditional transplant waiting list and matching kidneys by age rather than length of time spent on the list. The topic has sparked heated debate in the kidney community and beyond. Our founder, Ken Kleinberg, recently … Continue reading The Debate Over Kidney Transplants and Rationing