Transplant

Research into stem cells has paid off as 68-year-old Paul Edmonds remains effectively cured of both HIV and leukemia following treatment that included a breakthrough stem cell transplant in 2019. Now, five years after the treatment, Edmonds continues to live his life free of HIV and leukemia.This makes Edmonds one of only five people in the world who have achieved full remission of HIV. Further, his 31 years of living with the virus also means he had it the longest out of the five in remission. It’s a striking…

Improving the health of the gut microbiome by way of fecal transplant (in mice) and dietary modification (in humans), has been shown by researchers to noticeably improve COPD symptoms. The finding could lead to microbiome-targeted treatments that provide relief to people suffering from this currently incurable condition.Most often caused by long-term cigarette smoking, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is characterized by inflammation and emphysema, leading to progressive impairment of lung function. Globally,…

The first baby to undergo a partial heart transplant will hopefully be spared repeated heart surgeries as the implanted tissue is growing with him – an outcome that has never been seen before in humans.Surgeons made history in 2022 when they stitched heart valves and vessels taken from a donor infant into the heart of transplant recipient Owen Monroe when he was just 18 days old.This technique of salvaging native heart tissue and only using the living donor tissue to replace defective parts had never been trialed in…

University of Michigan researchers are studying potato starch as a potential solution to prevent Graft versus Host Disease in stem cell transplant patients, with a phase II clinical trial currently in progress. Research indicates the potential to prevent the occurrence of Graft versus Host Disease. Researchers at the University of Michigan Health Rogel Cancer Center have identified a promising approach to reduce a frequent and serious risk associated with stem cell transplants from donor blood or bone marrow.…

Too Long; Didn't ReadA yearlong investigation by The Markup and The Washington Post found that the 2018 lawsuit was the linchpin that changed the liver donation system to benefit states with longer waiting lists—in particular New York and California, whose transplant officials had pushed for the change for years. Too Long; Didn't ReadA yearlong investigation by The Markup and The Washington Post found that the 2018 lawsuit was the linchpin that changed the liver donation system to benefit states with longer waiting…

A huge multidisciplinary team at NYU Langone Health has successfully undertaken the world’s first whole-eye and partial-face transplant on a man who suffered horrific injuries after a high-voltage electrical accident. The landmark surgery opens new possibilities for future advancements in vision therapies.In June 2021, 46-year-old Aaron James’ face accidentally touched a live wire while he was working as an electrical lineman. Although he survived the 7,200-volt electric shock, a feat in itself, Aaron, who hails from Hot…

Lawrence Faucette, the 58-year-old patient with terminal heart disease who was the second person to receive a genetically engineered pig heart, died on October 30, according to a statement from the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore, where the transplant was performed.Faucette received the transplant on September 20 and lived for six weeks—less time than the first recipient, despite extra precautions by the Maryland team. Initially, Faucette made progress following his surgery. He was doing physical…

This week doctors announced they had completed the first successful transplant of a partial face and an entire eye. In May at NYU Langone Health in New York City, the surgery was performed on a 46-year-old man who had suffered severe electrical burns to his face, left eye and left arm. He does not yet have vision in the transplanted eye and may never regain it there, but early evidence suggests the eye itself is healthy and may be capable of transmitting neurological signals to the brain. The feat opens up the…

Researchers have transplanted cells capable of forming specialized brain support cells into mice brains and found that they not only competed with and replaced unhealthy cells but aged ones, too. The findings open the door to developing an effective treatment for a range of conditions like multiple sclerosis, ALS, Alzheimer’s disease, autism and schizophrenia.‘Glial cells’ is an umbrella term for the cells that are a support system to nerve cells (neurons). Progenitor cells are descendants of stem cells that can…

In an exciting step forward in surgery advances, the first liver transplant performed by a robot has successfully taken place in the US, as clinics plan to ramp up wider use of this innovative procedure.The man in his 60s, who required a critical transplant due to liver cancer and cirrhosis caused by hepatitis C, underwent surgery performed by the advanced machinery while the head surgeon controlled the robot’s movements from a console nearby.“The transplant was a success: The operation went smoothly, the new liver…